Delhi weather today: Rain eases heatwave, improves AQI to satisfactory

Strong overnight winds and thunderstorms disrupted flights and power supply across Delhi-NCR, but brought a sharp improvement in air quality

 

Delhi is recording its wettest May on record as an overnight storm caused waterlogging in many parts of the city. Heavy rain and thunderstorms lashed the national capital on May 25, triggering flight delays, diversions, traffic jams, and power outages.

 

On Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert. Warning of strong winds, the Met department had urged people to stay indoors. Overnight winds reached up to 82 kmph.

Light rain forecast for today with orange alert in Delhi

 

A day after the intense thunderstorm and heavy rain, Delhi is set to witness partly cloudy skies with hot, humid conditions on May 26. Light rainfall with wind speeds reaching 50 kmph during thunderstorms is expected. The minimum temperature is likely to range between 23°C and 25°C, while the maximum may hover between 34°C and 36°C. 

 

The Met department has issued an orange alert for today, forecasting thunderstorms and rainfall.

Flight delays and diversions at Delhi airport

 

Due to the adverse weather conditions, more than 400 flights were delayed, and 49—including 17 international services—were diverted, according to airport officials.

 

The diversions began around 11:30 pm on May 24 and continued until approximately 4 am on May 25. “A total of 49 flights, including 17 international flights, were diverted during this period,” an official said, noting that delays persisted well into the day due to a cascading effect. 

 

Officials attributed the disruptions to wind shear—strong, opposing winds—along with rain and lightning, which affected both take-offs and landings, making flying conditions hazardous.

Rain to continue through the week, says IMD

 

Rain is expected to persist in the national capital throughout the week (May 26–31), according to the IMD forecast. Thunderstorms and light rainfall have been predicted on most days, accompanied by strong surface winds. These conditions will continue to bring some relief from the heat, with maximum temperatures forecast to remain under 40°C.

 

The IMD has also stated that no heatwave conditions are likely during this week.

Heavy rain improves Delhi’s air quality to ‘satisfactory’

 

Air quality in Delhi improved and was in the ‘satisfactory’ category on Monday morning, after having deteriorated due to a massive dust storm across Delhi-NCR. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 97 at 8 am on May 26.

 

The improvement in air quality is due to the heavy rainfall that cleared the atmosphere of pollutants. 

 

Air quality also improved across the NCR, with the AQI remaining ‘moderate’ or ‘satisfactory’ in most locations. Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 105 at 4 pm on May 25. In Gurugram, the AQI moved to 123, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category. Noida and Greater Noida recorded AQIs of 81 and 70, respectively, while Ghaziabad’s AQI stood at 75.

 

As per the CPCB, an AQI between 0 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’.