RAIN, THUNDER LASH CAPITAL, AIR QUALITY COULD IMPROVE
Weather dept officials said they expect rain to continue overnight and on Friday as well
NEWDELHI: Heavy rain and strong winds that lashed parts of the national capital on Thursday evening are expected to improve the air quality in Delhi, which was in “severe” category on the air quality index (AQI) earlier in the day, weather scientists said.
South Delhi and the outer areas of the Capital received heavy rains and officials added that some rain will continue till Friday.
As many as 17 flights were diverted from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Thursday with no aircraft landings or taking off between 9.10 pm and 9.20 pm, airport officials said.
Parts of the city also saw hail, while some areas in the National Capital Region like Noida, Greater Noida, and Rewari witnessed hailstorms. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the air quality may improve to “poor” by Friday morning and to “moderate” by Saturday. The maximum temperature may dip to 19 degrees Celsius on Friday, and the minimum may settle at 13° C.
NEW DELHI: Strong surface winds and heavy rains in parts, accompanied by hail, lashed the capital on Thursday. Weather scientists predicted these would lead to a drop in pollution levels, which remained in the ‘severe’ category as per the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4pm bulletin.
Some parts of the city such as south and outer Delhi received heavy rains, which India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said they expected would continue overnight, and on Friday as well.
Scientists said parts of the city also witnessed hail, and that some areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) like Noida, Greater Noida, and Rewari witnessed hailstorms around 9pm.
Airport officials said 24 were flights were diverted from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and no landings/take-offs took place between 9.10pm and 9.20pm.
“Thunderstorm and rainfall with surface winds picking up pace to 20-30kmph is expected on Friday as well. This is a cumulative impact of rainfall, hailstorm and snowfall predicted in the western Himalayan region, for which a warning has been issued in those states. The impact of rain and winds will be seen by Friday morning,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD’S regional weather forecasting centre.
According to the central government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the air quality may improve to ‘poor’ by Friday morning and to ‘moderate’ on December 14.
“While air quality is in the ‘severe’ zone now, the forecast is that it will improve rapidly and significantly from Thursday night onwards. It takes a while for pollutants that have accumulated over days to get cleared,” a senior Safar scientist said.
According to the CPCB’S 4pm bulletin, the air quality index (AQI) was 429 in Delhi, as compared to 408 on Wednesday.
However, the respite brought by the rain and winds may be short-lived, as a ‘dense’ fog and an expected dip in mercury on December 15-16, may push up pollution levels again. According to CPCB officials, another spike in pollution levels is expected from December end to the first week of January owing to heavy fog and low temperatures.
The average wind speed picked up to 22-24kmph during the day, which is strong enough to clear the air. This has been between 8kmph and 10kmph over the past two days.
Srivastava added that owing to the rain and strong winds, the day temperature dipped to 21.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average, as compared to 23 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
However, the minimum temperature was 12.8 degrees Celsius, four above normal.
The maximum temperature may dip to 19 degrees Celsius on Friday, and the minimum may settle at 13 degrees Celsius.