Rains in parts of Delhi, more likely on Saturday: IMD

Parts of the national capital witnessed rains on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

According to IMD officials, the Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker for the city, recorded 4.1 mm of rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on Friday. The weather stations at Ridge, Lodi Road and Ayanagar gauged 2 mm, 11 mm and 11.8 mm precipitation, respectively.

Isolated places of Delhi-NCR that witnessed rains include Rohini, Mukarba Chowk, Azadpur, Rani Bagh, Noida, Vivek Vihar, Dilshad Garden among others.

The weather department has predicted generally cloudy sky with light to moderate rains on Saturday.

Delhi's September rainfall has already breached the 400-mm mark. At 413.3 mm till Friday evening, it is the maximum rainfall recorded in the month since 417.3 mm in September 1944, officials said.

The monsoon this year has yielded a bounteous 1,169.7 mm of rainfall in Delhi till Friday evening, the highest since 1964 and the third-highest since the data has been maintained by the IMD.

Delhi had gauged 1,155.6 mm of rainfall in 1975 and 1,190.9 mm in 1964.

IMD officials said the maximum temperature on Friday settled at 32.7 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season's average while the national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 24.4 degrees Celsius, one notch above the season's average in the morning.

The maximum temperature in Delhi on Thursday settled at 33.3 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average, while the minimum was recorded at 24.7 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal.

The relative humidity was recorded at 77 per cent at 5.30 pm, the weather office said.

The air quality index was recorded in the 'satisfactory' category at 65 at 6 pm, real time data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.

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'.