NEW DELHI: Delhi-NCR felt an unmistakable winter chill on Friday after overnight incessant rain lashed the capital, with visuals of rain-soaked roads at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station and the Jamia Millia Islamia area as dark clouds covered the city late on Thursday night, the Times of India reported.

Source: Times of India via 7Globe

Delhi recorded its coldest October day in four years on October 29, after remnants of Cyclone Arnab interacted with a western disturbance, bringing rain, thunderstorms and dense cloud cover to the capital, ANI reported. At Safdarjung, Delhi's base weather station, the maximum temperature settled at 25.4°C, 5.6 degrees below normal — the lowest daytime high in October since 23.4°C on October 8, 2022.

Source: ANI via Indian Economic Observer

25.4°CSafdarjung maximum on Oct 29 — coldest October day in 4 years
133Delhi city AQI at 4 am Friday — 'moderate'
93AQI near India Gate — 'satisfactory'
49 mmRainfall recorded at Jharoda Kalan

Air cleans up after days of 'poor' readings

The city's Air Quality Index, which remained above 200 in the 'poor' category on Wednesday and Thursday, improved to 133 in the 'moderate' category at 4 am on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Times of India reported. At the India Gate monitoring station, the AQI dropped to 93, in the 'satisfactory' (51-100) range, ANI reported, citing the CPCB.

Due to persistent cloud cover, the minimum temperature rose to 19.2°C, about 3.1 degrees above normal. Isolated light to moderate rain and overnight drizzle were reported across Delhi-NCR, with Jharoda Kalan recording up to 49 mm of rainfall, ANI said.

What the IMD expects next

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a yellow alert for Delhi and adjoining NCR districts on October 29, forecasting rain and thunderstorms. Very light to light rain with isolated thunderstorms is expected in Delhi on Friday, October 30, the weather office said.

The weather is likely to improve from Saturday, October 31, with partly cloudy skies and no warning in place, and mainly clear skies and stable conditions are forecast for November 1 and 2. In contrast, Mumbai woke up on Friday to a hazy skyline with dipping visibility in parts of the city, ANI reported.