Delhi experienced intermittent rains for most of Monday, as the weather department issued a warning of moderate to heavy downpours and upgraded its alert for the national capital to orange.
The Palam airport reported the lowest visibility of 800 metres about 3 pm on September 1 due to an intense spell of rain, the IMD said. The visibility, which was 2,500 metres at 2.30 pm, dropped to 800 metres by 3 pm.
The orange alert — a step up from yellow — placed Delhi in “be prepared” mode under the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) colour-coded system.
The weather department had also urged residents to follow the dos and don’ts it circulated for weather conditions.
Till 5.30 pm, the city’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 18.6 mm of rainfall, while other stations reported 30.8 mm at Palam, 48.9 mm at Aya Nagar and 16.2 mm of rainfall at Lodhi Road, IMD data showed.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change) at private weather forecaster Skymet, said the city will continue to see on-and-off rain till September 5.
“This spell is being driven both by the monsoon and an unusually active western disturbance, which has been causing heavy rainfall in the Himalayan states and influencing weather in Delhi as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature was recorded at 30.8 degrees Celsius, 3.7 notches below normal, while the minimum settled at 23.7 degrees Celsius, 2.8 degrees below normal, according to the weather department.
The air quality was recorded in the 'satisfactory' category at 4 pm on Monday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 60, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
The humidity level fluctuated between 90 and 71 per cent during the day, the Met said.
For Tuesday, the weather department has forecast a cloudy sky with moderate rain. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 31 and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively.
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'.