New Delhi [India], February 18 : Light rain lashed parts of the national capital on Wednesday, bringing respite after an unusually warm spell. Visuals from Moti Bagh and Rajokri village showed wet streets and residents making their way through light showers.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for the day, forecasting a slight temperature drop. Overall, the air quality remained in the "poor" category.
On X, the IMD on Wednesday stated, "Orange colour nowcast for the districts of north Rajasthan for light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (40-60 kmph) during the next 3 hours. Yellow colour for light rainfall also issued for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and West Madhya Pradesh during the next 3 hours."
The department further said that light rainfall or drizzle was "very likely" across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Wednesday. It added, "Gusty winds, ranging from 30 to 40 kmph, were likely in the afternoon."
The IMD also predicted light rainfall over parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan in the next two hours. These included Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Mahendargarh, Sohana, 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.
The showers follow an unusually warm spell that pushed temperatures well above seasonal norms. Delhi recorded a maximum of 31.6°C on Monday, the hottest day of the year so far, about 7 °C above the seasonal average.
Station-wise data showed Ayanagar recorded the highest minimum temperature at 13.8°C, while Safdarjung, the city's principal observatory, logged a minimum of 12.4°C.
With the showers, Delhi residents are likely to experience a brief respite from the heat, while authorities continue to monitor gusty winds and localised rainfall across the NCR and neighbouring regions.