Thunderstorm, rain hit Delhi; max temp settles 5 notches below normal

A thunderstorm accompanied by rain hit Delhi on Tuesday evening with gusty winds blowing across the national capital, sending pedestrians running for cover and affecting vehicular movement.

The India Meteorological Department said the maximum temperature settled at 35.9 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal.

Delhi has been hit by a thunderstorm, an IMD official said.

As gusty winds blew across the city, many pedestrians rushed for shelter as it began to rain while vehicular movement was also affected.

The relative humidity oscillated between 48 per cent and 91 per cent.

Delhiites had woken up to a pleasant morning on Tuesday with the minimum temperature settling at 20.7 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal.

The city recorded 1.2 mm of rainfall during the 24 hours that ended at 8.30 am on Tuesday.

The weather office has forecast partly cloudy skies with light rain and thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds on Wednesday. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 35 degrees Celsius.

The 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the 'moderate' category with a reading of 115 at 7 pm.

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'.