Incessant rain continued to lash parts of Delhi on Saturday after the city recorded its highest rainfall in a single day in December in 101 years.
Delhi recorded 41.2 mm of rain in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday. The highest-ever rainfall recorded for a single day in December came on December 3, 1923, when 75.7 mm of rain was recorded.
The adjoining areas of the national capital also received rain on Saturday, bringing the temperature sharply down to 13 degrees Celsius. Amid the rain, Delhi witnessed some improvement in the air quality, which remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 179.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for the weekend, predicting “light rain/ thunderstorms”. In December 2024, Delhi logged 42.8 mm, the highest in the last 27 years. The observatory at Palam registered 31.4 mm of rainfall, 34.2 mm in Lodhi Road, 33.4 mm in Ridge, 39 mm in Delhi University and 35 mm in Pusa till 5.30 pm on Friday.
According to the weather department, the active western disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds were causing light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms over northwest and central India, including Delhi’s satellite cities of Noida, Gurugram, and Faridabad.
The continuous rainfall in Delhi-NCR is expected to keep the temperature low over the weekend. In its statement, the IMD predicted a maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius in Delhi, while the minimum temperature is expected to stay at 12 degrees Celsius.
The rain caused waterlogging and traffic disruptions in various parts of Delhi. A portion of a road in Sector-9 in RK Puram caved in, resulting in a motorcycle and car falling into the affected area. Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 179 recorded on Saturday. Anand Vihar’s AQI reached 236, categorised as ‘poor,’ while Siri Fort and Mundka recorded 243 and 218, respectively.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.