Delhi experienced two very different faces of weather on Sunday, sweltering through its hottest July day in two years before afternoon showers brought brief relief from the humidity. The India Meteorological Department has now issued an orange alert for heavy rain in the capital on Monday.
A Blistering Sunday
The maximum temperature in Delhi touched 38.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday, two degrees above the seasonal normal. That is the highest July daytime temperature in the capital since 11 July 2024, when the mercury had climbed to 38.8 degrees Celsius, making Sunday's reading the second-highest for the month in the past two years. Nights were no cooler either. The minimum temperature settled at 29.2 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees above normal, the highest since 2 July 2024, when it had touched 30.7 degrees Celsius, making it the second-warmest July night on record in that span. Heavy moisture in the air through the day made the heat feel far more oppressive than the numbers alone suggested.
Afternoon Rain Offers A Breather
As the heat and humidity peaked, clouds opened up over several parts of Delhi-NCR in the afternoon. By 2:30 pm, Chhatarpur had logged the highest rainfall in the region at 49 millimetres, leaving parts of the area waterlogged. Gurugram recorded 35 millimetres, Mehrauli 18 millimetres, Greater Noida 17 millimetres, Najafgarh eight millimetres and Janakpuri seven millimetres. While the showers cooled things down briefly, the waterlogging in pockets of Chhatarpur made moving around difficult for residents.
Orange Alert Issued For Monday
The weather department has issued an orange alert for Delhi for Monday, forecasting largely cloudy skies and moderate rain across several parts of the city. The maximum temperature is expected to drop to around 32 degrees Celsius and the minimum to around 27 degrees Celsius, offering considerably more relief from the heat than Sunday did. Relative humidity had already climbed to 92 percent by 5:30 pm on Sunday evening, intensifying the mugginess.
Air Quality Held Steady At Moderate
According to the Sameer app, Delhi's Air Quality Index stood at 155 at 8 pm on Sunday. Under the Central Pollution Control Board's scale, an AQI between 101 and 200 falls in the 'moderate' category, meaning the capital's air stayed at that level even through the rain and cloud cover.
