Heavy rainfall to continue in Delhi; bitter cold grips the city

New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) Delhi and its neighbouring regions witnessed moderate to heavy rainfall along with a hailstorm on Saturday, causing temperatures in the region to drop sharply.

The rain, which started early in the morning, is expected to continue throughout the day, sending temperatures plummeting.

This includes areas like Palam, Safdarjung, Lodi Road, IGI Airport, Mehrauli, Chhattarpur, Ayanagar, Deramandi, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Manesar. Noida and Manesar are also likely to witness moderate to heavy rainfall and lightning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert for Delhi, indicating that severe weather conditions are expected to persist.

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds led to the uprooting of trees in several areas of the national capital.

In Sector-9, RK Puram, a portion of a road caved in, causing a motorcycle and a car to fall into the affected area.

The IMD further forecasted light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms in parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. This includes Yamunanagar, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, and Hodal in Haryana; Saharanpur, Gangoh, Deoband, Muzaffarnagar, Sakoti Tanda, Baraut, Daurala, Baghpat, Meerut, Modinagar, Kithor, and Nandgaon in Uttar Pradesh; and Tizara and Alwar in Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, rains lashed several parts of Mathura city in Uttar Pradesh on Friday late night.

Earlier on Friday, incessant rainfall caused widespread waterlogging and severe traffic snarls in various parts of Delhi.

The minimum temperature in the city on Saturday was recorded at 12 degrees Celsius, with a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius.

According to IMD, Delhi recorded its highest rainfall in December in 15 years on Friday. The heavy rains started in the early hours of Thursday and continued throughout the day.

The rains brought a little improvement in Delhi's air quality, though it remains in the 'very poor' category. As of 2 p.m., the Air Quality Index (AQI) was measured at 355, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Specific readings showed AQI levels of 390 in Anand Vihar, 314 at IGI Airport (T3), 329 in Aya Nagar, 327 at Lodhi Road, 360 at ITO, 300 in Chandni Chowk, and 361 in Punjabi Bagh.

For comparison, AQI readings at 7 a.m. were higher: 398 in Anand Vihar, 340 at IGI Airport (T3), 360 in Aya Nagar, 345 at Lodhi Road, 380 at ITO, 315 in Chandni Chowk, and 386 in Punjabi Bagh.

The Central government's air quality monitoring panel recently revoked Stage IV ('Severe+') measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) following improved air quality. However, Stages I, II, and III remain in effect to prevent further deterioration, as announced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on December 24.

The improvement in air quality has been attributed to favourable meteorological conditions, including improved wind speeds, as per forecasts from the IMD and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).

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