Rain lashes parts of Delhi, temperatures dip to 26.5 deg Celsius; IMD issues yellow alert

New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) Delhi experienced rain under an overcast sky on Monday, bringing a pleasant chill as temperatures dropped to 26.5 degrees Celsius.

The cool spell is expected to continue, with temperatures likely to fall further in the coming days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The showers come as a western disturbance affects the region, the IMD said.

Meanwhile, fresh snowfall in the Himalayas is expected to further lower temperatures in the capital.

On Sunday, the city recorded a maximum of 34.1 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees below the seasonal average, according to the IMD.

On Monday, under cloudy skies, the maximum temperature was recorded at 26.5 degrees Celsius, 7.7 degrees below normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 20.6 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees below normal.

Meanwhile, from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, the city’s Safdarjung weather station recorded 3.4 mm of rainfall. Other stations reported similar figures, with Palam recording 3.2 mm and Ridge 3.7 mm of rainfall.

On Monday, the city was under a yellow alert, which stands for “be updated,” according to the IMD’s colour code. For the upcoming days, cloudy skies with moderate rain are forecast due to the western disturbance.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 28 and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The air quality was recorded in the "moderate" category at 4 pm, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 105, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe". PTI NSM NSM HIG HIG