After weeks of intense heat, Delhi witnessed a sharp change in weather on Friday as cloudy skies, light rain and gusty winds brought temperature down across the city, providing much-needed relief to residents.
The maximum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, settled at 36.8 degrees Celsius — the lowest recorded in Delhi since May 8. The sharp dip came just two days after the station had recorded a high of 44.3 degrees Celsius, underlining the sudden shift in weather conditions.
Several parts of the city recorded a steep decline in daytime temperature over the last 48 hours. Ayanagar and Palam saw the sharpest drop, with maximum temperature falling by more than 9 degrees Celsius. Ridge and Lodhi Road also reported significant decline as cloud cover and intermittent showers curtailed the prolonged heatwave-like conditions.
Light rainfall was recorded at a few weather stations during the 24-hour period ending Friday morning. While Safdarjung, Palam and Ayanagar received a few millimetres of rain, Lodhi Road reported trace rainfall.
Despite the limited precipitation, the showers and winds brought noticeable improvement in outdoor conditions.
According to the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), the city’s maximum power load stood at 7,226 MW at 3:33 pm on Friday, lower than the peaks recorded earlier this week amid soaring temperatures.
Air quality in the Capital also improved following rain and strong winds. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 123 at 4 pm on Friday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), placing it in the “moderate” category.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast continued cloudy conditions and chances of light rain and thunderstorms in parts of Delhi over the weekend, which are expected to keep temperatures below the highs recorded earlier this month.
