Delhi receives heavy rains, highest in 24 hr in March since 2015

Rains lashed the national capital all through the day on Friday, the highest for the city in 24 hours in March since 2015, affecting traffic movement as visibility dropped considerably in the afternoon due to dense clouds.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for Delhi, recorded 20.4 mm rainfall till 8:30 am.

Kuldeep Srivatava, the head of the regional weather forecasting centre of the India Meteorological Department, said the national capital has been receiving spells of rains since March 4 due to a western disturbance.

The frequency of rains is likely to reduce on Saturday, he said.

In 2015, Delhi received 56.8 mm rains on March 2.

The all time 24-hour highest rainfall recorded in the city in this month was 62.2 mm, on March 11, 1915.

The weather station at Palam gauged 15.3 mm rainfall, Lodhi Road recorded 20.6 mm, Ayanagar 19.1 mm and Ridge 18.6 mm, it added.

The rains led to waterlogging in several areas which affected traffic movement in peak hours.

Rains over the last two days brought the mercury down in the city, with the minimum temperature on Friday settling at 14 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature was recorded at 22.4 degrees Celsius, six notches below the normal.

The weatherman has predicted partly cloudy sky with possibility of very light rain for Saturday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 25 degrees Celsius and 13 degrees Celsius respectively.

Rains and strong winds have improved the city's air quality. At 9:45 am, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi stood at 69, which falls in the satisfactory category.