Dusty Winds Push Up Pollution Level in Delhi-NCR; Light Rain Likely But No Respite From Sizzling Heat

Delhi on Monday sizzled from rising mercury as the temperature peaked at 41.3 degrees Celsius (°C), surpassing the usual average for this period by two degrees. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) has, however, forecast light rainfall on Tuesday but it will not bring any respite to the people.

At IMD’s Safdarjung observatory, which serves as Delhi’s primary weather station, the minimum (night) temperature on Monday was recorded at 25.2°C, slightly lower than the previous day’s reading of 25.9°C. Meanwhile, Sunday witnessed a maximum (day) temperature of 40.9°C.

In a tweet, the weather department mentioned that dust storms and gusty winds with speeds ranging from 40 to 75 km/h are expected to occur in Delhi, NCR, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Sohana, and Nuh (Haryana). Additionally, there is a possibility of dust storms, thunderstorms accompanied by rain, and gusty winds with speeds of 40 to 60 km/h in the next two hours in Kosali, Mahendargarh, Rewari, Narnaul, Bawal (Haryana), as well as Khairthal, Kotputli, Alwar, Viratnagar, and Rajgarh (Rajasthan).

The predicted temperature range for today is approximately 41 degrees Celsius as the maximum and 26 degrees Celsius as the minimum.

According to the weather office, strong surface winds are expected in the national capital on May 18. Moving on to May 19, there is a chance of light rain or thundershowers accompanied by gusty winds.

The air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was measured at 162, placing it in the moderate category. Neighboring areas such as Ghaziabad (160), Greater Noida (171), and Noida (186) also recorded moderate AQI levels. However, Faridabad (100) reported satisfactory air quality, while Gurugram (273) fell into the poor category.