Rain lashes Delhi; Yellow alert issued for thunderstorms, moderate to heavy showers

New Delhi: Rain lashed parts of the national capital on Monday afternoon, with the city placed under a yellow alert for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and moderate to heavy showers.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 23.7 degrees Celsius, 2.8 notches below the season’s average. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 30 degrees Celsius, while the humidity stood at 90 per cent at 8.30 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to IMD data, the capital logged 399.8 mm of rainfall in August, making it the wettest for the month in 15 years. The last time Delhi recorded more rainfall was in 2010, at 455.8 mm.

Last month’s rainfall also surpassed August 2024’s 390.3 mm, which was spread over 17 rainy days and was at 67 per cent above the long-period average. This year, August saw rain on 14 days, with the total crossing the seasonal average.

In contrast, August 2023 saw just 91.8 mm of rain, while 2022 logged 41.6 mm and 2021 recorded 237 mm.

Delhi witnessed three times the normal rainfall in June (243.3 mm) and nearly normal rainfall in July (203.7 mm). With over 750 mm recorded since June, the city has already surpassed its seasonal monsoon average and is inching towards the annual rainfall mark of 774.4 mm.

Meanwhile, the air quality in the city was satisfactory at 2 pm, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 60, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). 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".