New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) Residents of the national capital woke up to light rain on Wednesday, a day after Delhi recorded the hottest day of the year so far, with the maximum temperature touching 30.9 degrees Celsius. The air quality also remained a concern, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 228 at 8 a.m., placing it in the ‘poor’ category.

On Tuesday, Delhi’s air quality was in the ‘poor’ category, with the AQI recorded at 259, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As per CPCB data on Wednesday, several areas of the city reported high AQI levels. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 285, Ashok Vihar 264, Burari Crossing 275, Chandni Chowk 286, and DTU 249. Dwarka Sector 8 reported 187, IGI Airport (T3) remained under monitoring, while ITO recorded 180. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium registered 187, Mundka 309, Narela 283, and Okhla Phase-2 242. Pusa recorded 152, R.K. Puram 221, Rohini 306, Shadipur 296, Sonia Vihar 294, Vivek Vihar 284, and Wazirpur 336, indicating that pollution levels remained elevated in many pockets.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted very light to light rainfall for Wednesday, accompanied by gusty winds with speeds ranging between 30 and 40 kilometres per hour during the afternoon. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 27 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Delhi has been witnessing unusual warmth for mid-February. Monday (February 16) recorded the highest temperature of the season so far, and on Tuesday (February 17) the mercury soared further to 30.9 degrees Celsius. This was around 6.5 degrees Celsius above the normal average for this time of the year, making it one of the warmest February days in recent weeks.

According to the IMD, a yellow alert has been issued for Delhi, and cloudy skies have been predicted for the day. The weather agency has indicated the possibility of a spell of very light rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places during the morning hours. Another spell of very light to light rain, also accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, is likely at isolated places towards the forenoon, along with gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph. A further spell of very light rain is expected at isolated places during the afternoon.

The IMD also said scattered showers were expected to extend into parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan over the next few hours, suggesting that the weather system influencing Delhi could impact several neighbouring regions.

In Noida, the IMD has predicted generally cloudy skies with light rain for Wednesday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to remain around 26 degrees Celsius and 11 degrees Celsius, respectively. For the next few days, mainly clear skies have been forecast for the region.

Gurugram is also expected to witness partly cloudy skies, with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers likely during the day. The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 28 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius, respectively. Clear skies have been predicted for the coming few days in Gurugram as well.

The IMD further stated that light rainfall was very likely over parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan over the next two hours. Areas expected to receive rain include Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Mahendargarh, Sohna, Rewari, Palwal, Narnaul, Bawal, Nuh, Aurangabad and Hodal in Haryana; Bagpat, Khekra, Modinagar and Pilakhua in Uttar Pradesh; and Bhiwari, Tizara, Khairthal, Alwar, Viratnagar, Nagar, Laxmangarh and Rajgarh in Rajasthan.

It added that very light rainfall or drizzle was likely in Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Narwana, Karnal, Fatehabad, Assandh, Safidon, Barwala, Jind, Panipat, Adampur, Gohana, Gannaur, Hansi, Tosham and Rohtak in Haryana; Shamli, Kandhla, Khatauli, Sakoti Tanda, Hastinapur, Baraut, Daurala, Meerut, Kithor, Garhmukteshwar, Hapur, Gulaoti, Siyana, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahar, Khurja, Jattari, Nandgaon and Barsana in Uttar Pradesh; and Kotputli and Deeg in Rajasthan.

–IANS

jk/dpb