Parts of Delhi and its neighbouring areas received rainfall and hailstorm on Friday as the maximum temperature settled at 37.8 degrees Celsius, the warmest day of the year so far. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorms with light rainfall and gusty winds in the national capital on Saturday.
While the maximum temperature recorded was five notches above the season's average, the minimum temperature settled at 21.8 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal.
Humidity was recorded at 64 per cent at 8:30 am and the weather office recorded 'trace' rainfall.
The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle at 36 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively.
In its evening bulletin on Friday, the weather office said hailstorm and rainfall along with gusty winds with speeds of 40-60 km/hr would likely occur in isolated places of Delhi (Jafarpur, Najafgarh and IGI Airport), Gurugram, Manesar, Gannaur, Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Farukhnagar, Palwal, Aurangabad and Hodal in Haryana, and Baraut, Meerut, Modinagar, Jattari and Khair in Uttar Pradesh.
It also predicted thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rainfall in Delhi, Loni Dehat, Hindon Air Force Station, Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Sakoti Tanda, Hastinapur, Chandpur, Daurala, Baghpat, Khekra, Kithor, Garhmukteshwar, Pilakhua, Hapur, Gulaoti, Siyana, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr, Jahangirabad, Anupshahar, Shikarpur, Khurja, Pahasu, Debai, Gabhana and Aligarh.
While the day began on a sunny note, the sky turned overcast towards the evening, following which rainfall occurred at many places in Delhi-NCR.
On March 27, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, which was then the highest temperature recorded this year so far.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded in the moderate category with a reading of 170, according to aqi.in.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.
