On Friday, Delhi experienced light rain and mild thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds, with the minimum temperature at 13 degrees Celsius—0.5 degrees below normal. The rainfall, which restored a winter-like chill to the capital, followed a short spell of warming temperatures. (ANI Video Grab). Cloudy skies will persist over the national capital in the days ahead as well. The India Meteorological Department’s seven-day forecast predicts partly cloudy skies over Delhi, with a chance of very light rain, thunderstorms, and lightning early next week. The recent downpour, which reintroduced a wintry chill to the capital, followed a short spell of warming temperatures ahead of summer. This has made March Delhi’s wettest in three years, averaging 9.4 mm of rain; per PTI, the highest prior March total was 50.4 mm in 2023. The IMD issued a yellow alert for Friday, cautioning of additional rain and temperatures falling to 23-25°C. On Thursday, the minimum temperature dropped below 30°C for the first time in almost a month, reaching 26.8°C. The IMD’s seven-day forecast indicates that maximum temperatures will gradually increase after Friday, hitting 32-34°C by March 25. Rain and snowfall are expected in the Himalayan region and Northeast India. According to the weather department’s bulletin, rainfall or snowfall is likely in isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The forecast indicated light to moderate rains accompanied by thunderstorms in parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Also Read | ‘Insane cover’: What’s making Delhi unusually cold? It’s a rain band spanning 1,000 km.
