Heavy rain brings the much-needed change in Delhi’s weather and at several places in the NCR region. The Meteorological Department has issued an orange and yellow alert for heavy rain in the next 24 hours. Though the showers would continue for the day, forecasts indicate the rain would turn lighter by the weekend. There is no expected rain from September 15-17, with just light rain being forecast on September 18.

Rain Disrupted Traffic
The heavy rains in Delhi-NCR on Thursday caused immense disruption in the movement of traffic. Janpath Road, India Gate, Kalindi Kunj, Dwarka, Connaught Place, RK Puram, Safdarjung, Uttam Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, East of Kailash, Rohini, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram and Noida received rainfall. Several major roads going toward Old Pankha Road, Najafgarh Road, Dilshad Garden, Britannia Flyover, Mangolpuri Flyover, Haiderpur, Rohini East Metro Station, MB Road, GTK Depot and Rohtak Road were highly congested.

Effect Of Light Rain
The dark sky and light rain on Thursday brought down the maximum temperature by six degrees. The Safdarjung Weather Centre recorded a high of 27.9°C, which is six degrees below the normal temperature. The minimum temperature recorded was 23.1°C, three degrees lower than the normal temperature. The humidity level oscillated between 87% and 100%, making it feel more damp.

Wind Speed And Rainfall Forecast
The meteorological department has forecast that light to heavy rain is likely to continue in Delhi. Generally cloudy skies can be expected along with a rainy spell over the national capital on Friday. Maximum temperature would be around 31°C, and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 21°C. The winds are likely to blow at 25 to 35 km/h, which further can lead to continuous changes in the weather.

Improved Air Quality
The recent rains have cleared away Delhi’s polluted air. Light showers cleaned up the air, and the AQI recorded an average of 64 on Thursday, thus falling in the category of ‘satisfactory’. The region is expected to hold on to this better quality for the coming couple of days without touching the higher scale, providing the citizens with some breathing space.

Low-Pressure Area And Its Effects
This low-pressure area over southwestern Uttar Pradesh and its surrounding region has caused intense rain over the region. The depression moved at a speed of 13 km/h and reached southwestern Uttar Pradesh by Thursday afternoon, causing heavy rain over an area of 300 kilometres. Further, the depression will most likely continue moving north-northeastward towards Uttarakhand, causing moderate to heavy rain over Agra, Firozabad, Aligarh, and Badaun.

Weather Outlook
As the depression further moves towards Uttarakhand, rainfall activities over Delhi and other surrounding areas are expected to subside slightly. ‘The depression is likely to weaken gradually while moving north. Consequently, the rain will also start decreasing. We are expecting more or less stable weather after this phase, and the frequency of rains would be much less by then,’ says Skymet’s Mahesh Palawat.