New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) Delhi-NCR woke up to pleasant weather and cool winds on Saturday, with light to moderate rainfall expected over the next two to three days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Saturday, warning of thunderstorms and gusty winds of up to 30 kmph.
The expected rainfall is likely to provide some relief from the recent heat as the national Capital moves into the post-monsoon period.
Rainfall is expected on Saturday, Sunday and Monday as a depression over Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh moves towards Uttar Pradesh and interacts with a weak western disturbance. While heavier rainfall is expected in parts of Uttarakhand and north-western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan are likely to receive lighter showers.
Similar weather conditions are expected to prevail on Sunday, while there is also a possibility of light rain on Monday. The change in weather is attributed to a cyclonic circulation in the lower atmosphere over north-western Uttar Pradesh and adjoining areas.
The southwest monsoon withdrew from Delhi on September 23, two days ahead of its normal withdrawal date, marking the earliest retreat from the national Capital since 2002. Despite the early withdrawal, weather officials said the prevailing weather systems could continue to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms over the next few days.
Cloudy skies and moist easterly winds helped keep temperatures lower in Delhi on Friday. The maximum temperature settled at 33 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 24.2 degrees Celsius. For Saturday, the IMD has forecast a maximum temperature of 32-34 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 22-23 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, a weather system over Chhattisgarh and Odisha, along with a fresh spell associated with a trough in the upper atmosphere, is expected to bring heavy rainfall across a wide stretch of the country on Saturday, according to the IMD.
At the centre of the weather activity is a depression that formed over south Odisha and adjoining south Chhattisgarh.
Uttar Pradesh is likely to witness intense rainfall activity over the next two days, the IMD said on Friday, issuing a red alert for several districts. The weather agency warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated locations.
The state government has placed district administrations on alert in view of the forecast till September 27.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, taking note of the forecast of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and the situation arising from flash floods, directed district magistrates of the concerned districts to maintain special vigilance and visit the field to monitor arrangements.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘satisfactory’ category. The AQI recorded at various monitoring stations was 63 at NSUT Jaffarpur, 65 at Punjabi Bagh, 68 at Shadipur, 85 at Sirifort, 67 at Chandni Chowk, 65 at Commonwealth Sports Complex, 56 at JNU, 72 at Alipur, 63 at R K Puram, 77 at Anand Vihar, 84 at Mundka, 68 at Vivek Vihar, 120 at Rohini, 129 at Wazirpur and 91 at Nehru Nagar.
