Delhi Weather Today: Rain Brings Relief as AQI Hits Lowest Level in Over 230 Days

Delhi residents enjoyed a second consecutive day of relief from the intense summer heat on Saturday as rain-bearing clouds, gusty winds and afternoon showers kept temperatures in check across the capital. The weather shift not only brought down daytime temperatures but also significantly improved air quality, making it the cleanest day the city has witnessed in more than seven months.

Air Quality Reaches Best Level Since October

The combination of rainfall and strong winds helped clear pollutants from the atmosphere, pushing Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) down to 85, placing it in the "satisfactory" category. According to official data, this was the city's lowest AQI reading since October 8, when it stood at 80.

Saturday also became the fourth day in May to record satisfactory air quality. Earlier, the AQI was measured at 88 on May 4, 86 on May 5 and 100 on May 8. Under Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms, AQI readings between 51 and 100 fall in the satisfactory category, while values between 101 and 200 are classified as moderate.

At the same time, Delhi's maximum temperature settled at 37.1°C, more than three degrees below the seasonal average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 24.6°C.

Rainfall Recorded Across Several Parts of the Capital

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a yellow alert on Saturday morning warning of rain and strong winds. Rainfall activity was observed mainly between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm across different parts of the city.

Mayur Vihar recorded the highest rainfall at 4 mm, followed closely by Lodhi Road with 3.8 mm. Safdarjung registered 0.9 mm, while Pitampura and Pusa each received 0.5 mm. The Ridge station measured 0.4 mm and Ayanagar recorded 0.2 mm. Palam reported only trace rainfall, whereas Najafgarh and Janakpuri did not receive any rain.

As weather conditions intensified during the afternoon, the IMD issued a red alert at 4:17 pm for several parts of Delhi, including north Delhi, much of north-west Delhi and portions of west, south-west, central and north-east Delhi. The warning highlighted the possibility of severe thunderstorms accompanied by wind speeds ranging between 60 kmph and 80 kmph.

NCR Residents Receive Storm Warnings

The weather system also affected neighbouring National Capital Region areas. Residents in Noida received flash alerts warning of thunderstorms, lightning, rainfall and winds that could touch 70 kmph.

Atul Goyal, president of the United Residents Joint Front, a federation of Delhi RWAs, said residents in other NCR areas such as Gurugram and Sonipat also received weather alerts.

The changing weather also disrupted air traffic operations. Three flights bound for Indira Gandhi International Airport were diverted to Lucknow. These included Air India flight AI 2516 from Indore, IndiGo flight 6E 6430 from Leh and Akasa Air flight QP 1821 from Bengaluru.

Heat Likely to Return Gradually Next Week

While Sunday is expected to remain relatively comfortable with temperatures ranging between 36°C and 38°C, forecasters say the current relief will not last long. The IMD has predicted partly cloudy conditions on Monday and Tuesday along with chances of light rain, thunderstorms and wind speeds of 40-50 kmph.

Thereafter, skies are expected to become largely clear and temperatures will begin climbing steadily. By June 4, maximum temperatures are likely to rise to between 40°C and 42°C.

Weather experts attributed the recent spell of rain and storms to a western disturbance that triggered cyclonic circulation over the Punjab-Chandigarh-Haryana region.

"Going into June, one or two episodes of isolated heatwave may occur, but the city will be experiencing occasional rain and thunderstorms as pre-monsoon activities continue, providing short breaks from the heat," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather.