IMD issues yellow alert for rain, thunderstorms in Delhi today; AQI at 206

Delhi residents woke to pleasant weather with cloudy skies on Sunday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, forecasting heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms across the National Capital Region (NCR) on May 4. 

 

Today's forecast: IMD issues yellow alert for rain

 

IMD has issued a yellow alert, predicting moderate to heavy rainfall in the national capital. Parts of the Delhi-NCR region are likely to see cloudy skies with light rainfall and strong surface winds of up to 40 kmph.

  

The warning comes after a record-breaking spell of rain on May 2, with Safdarjung — the city’s primary weather station — logging 77 mm of rain in just six hours. This was the second-highest 24-hour May rainfall recorded in Delhi since 1901. 

 

The temperature dropped in Delhi after the rain, with the minimum expected to be around 21 degrees Celsius on Sunday. The maximum temperature will hover around 35 degrees Celsius. 

 

Weather forecast for the week 

 

Residents can expect relief from the heat between May 5 and 11, with thunderstorms, rainfall, and a dip in maximum temperatures on the forecast. Thunderstorms accompanied by rain and gusty winds are likely to continue until May 7, while cloudy skies will persist through Wednesday. Strong surface winds, reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph during storms, are expected until May 6. Maximum temperatures are likely to stay between 31 degrees Celsius and 36 degrees Celsius. 

 

4 killed as rain, thunderstorm wreak havoc

 

Heavy rain caused widespread damage across the national capital. In Najafgarh, a house collapsed, killing a woman and her three young children after a tree fell on their home during the storm. 

 

In another incident, a 25-year-old construction worker was electrocuted in Green Park after touching an iron gate that had been charged by a broken overhead wire while seeking shelter from the storm.

 

At Indira Gandhi International Airport, flight operations were disrupted, with over 500 flights delayed and three diverted due to poor visibility and strong winds. 

 

Air quality turns 'poor'

 

Air quality in the capital dropped to the ‘poor’ category on Sunday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 206 at 7 am on May 4, compared to 145 at the same time, a day earlier. 

  

The AQI across Delhi-NCR also moved to the ‘moderate’ or 'satisfactory' category. Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 180 at 4 pm on May 3. In Gurugram, the AQI dropped to 91, placing it in the 'satisfactory' category. Noida and Greater Noida, both recorded AQI of 136. Ghaziabad’s AQI was recorded at 139.  According to the 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'.