Delhi residents woke up to drizzle on Friday morning as a cool breeze filled the air. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for light rain in Delhi. The alert requires citizens to be aware and prepare for moderate to severe weather conditions that could cause disruption.

"Very light rain/drizzle accompanied by thunderstorms is likely at most places, with moderate rain at isolated locations," the IMD said.

Several areas in the city are expected to receive rain throughout the day.

In its local weather report, the IMD predicted “light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and gusty winds (30-40kmph)” for the entire day on Friday.

"Day temperatures are likely to remain normal to below normal over the next week. No significant heatwave conditions are expected," it said.

In the last 24 hours, Safdarjung recorded 6.6 mm of rainfall, Palam 5.4 mm, Lodhi Road 6.3 mm, Ridge 7.4 mm, and Ayanagar 5.6 mm, the IMD said.

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Mercury drops in Delhi The minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 16 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below normal, the weather agency said.

Station-wise data:

Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 14.7 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees below normal

Lodhi Road logged 15.8 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees above normal

Ridge recorded 15.1 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees below normal

Ayanagar reported 16 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees below normal. From Hottest to Wettest March On Thursday, the national capital batted through rain and gusty winds, making March the wettest in three years. The average precipitation in the city was recorded at 9.4 mm.

The last time higher rainfall was recorded in March was in 2023, when the monthly total was 50.4 mm, underscoring the intensity of the current rain spell.

The change occurred in mere days — just 10 days ago, Delhi witnessed the hottest March week in 50 years with temperatures soaring above 35 degrees Celsius.

Now, thanks to the persistent cloud cover and intermittent rainfall, Delhi's day temperature has dipped sharply, taking the maximum temperature on Thursday to the lowest so far this month – 26.8 degrees Celsius.

Why the sudden shift? The Met department attributed the current conditions to large-scale thunderstorm activity across several parts of the country, and the successive approach of western disturbances and an induced cyclonic circulation over Haryana.

Mahesh Palawat of Skymet told PTI that this is because the first 10 days of March recorded unusually high temperatures, and the western disturbance was more intense. “As a result, the pre-monsoon phase has been preponed.”

Delhi AQI Delhi's air quality has improved significantly. The city's AQI (Air Quality Index) stood at 123, placing it in the 'moderate' category.

According to Central Pollution Control Board data, 27 monitoring stations recorded 'moderate' air quality, 15 fell in the 'satisfactory' category, while one station, Burari Crossing, reported 'severe' levels.