People living in the national capital woke up this morning to cloudy skies and streaked in the morning of a new western disturbance reshaped weather across Delhi-NCR. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert and has forecast that rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds would be prevalent throughout the day. The weather change is coming on the heels of the coldest Republic Day in five years for the capital, with Monday morning temperatures dropping as low as 3.6°C in parts of the capital.
IMD Forecast: Rain and Thunderstorms
According to the IMD's latest bulletin it anticipates that the city is going to see:
- Light Rain: Light to Moderate Rain In Delhi, Noida, Gurugram & Ghaziabad. Thunderstorms & Lightning: Storms are expected to include thunderstorms as well as lightning in isolated areas.
- Gusty winds: Surface winds up to 30–40 kmph (with gusts up to 50 kmph) are forecast to hit the area with cold wind force in the area and add to the cold air.
This is its second major western disturbance of the season, the weather office said. While it is a “wet” break in the winter, it should also disperse the stubborn pollutants that have had the city’s air quality classified “poor” to date this morning (AQI 281).
Temperature and Visibility
With daily cloud cover and rain, the peak temperature is forecast to fall to around 19°C, down significantly from Monday. The minimum temperature is expected to also approach 9°C. Morning commuters said fog was shallow and visibility was poor on a collection of nearby roads, including the Ring Road, ITO and some parts of South Delhi. As roads become slippery, the Delhi Traffic Police advises motorists to keep their headlights on and take a safe distance between vehicles.
Effects on Traffic and Commute
While the rain is a relief for those who worried about air pollution, the latter has already begun to hit the morning rush hour. Low-lying areas have seen a slight buildup of water, and major arterial roads are showing slower traffic than typically.
Outlook for the Week
The IMD now anticipates conditions will continue from today’s western disturbance until Wednesday, January 28. Moderate fog is expected in early morning hours. Forecasts suggest that we will see clear weather over the weekend with a slight increase in daytime temperatures starting from January 30.
