With rain lashing parts of the national capital, an orange alert has been issued for Thursday night predicting rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds, the weather department said.

A dust storm followed by a thunderstorm, with light to moderate rainfall, lightning, and gusty winds reaching 40 to 70 kmph, is expected at many places in Delhi and the NCR.

An orange alert indicates that residents should be alert and prepared for potentially disruptive weather. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 1.3 notches below the seasonal average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The minimum temperature was registered at 29.0 degrees Celsius, 2.4 notches above normal.

The relative humidity fluctuated between 63 and 49 per cent.

The forecast also predicted thunderstorms with rain along with gusty winds at speeds of 50–60 kilometres per hour.

Meanwhile, the city’s air quality was recorded in the 'moderate' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 173 at 5.pm, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

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