Delhi weather: IMD issues yellow alert, forecasts rain and thunderstorm from Monday

NEW DELHI: The national capital recorded a slight rise in minimum temperatures on Saturday, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Monday and Tuesday. Warning of light rainfall, thunderstorms and gusty winds, as per a PTI news gency report.According to the IMD, Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 23.8 degrees Celsius, which was 1.2 degrees higher than Friday’s reading. However, it still remained 1.3 degrees below normal for this time of the year.Other weather stations across the national capital also registered an increase in minimum temperaturesPalam recorded 23.4 degrees Celsius, up by 2.7 degrees from the previous day, while Lodhi Road logged 23.2 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees higher than Friday.The Ridge station recorded a minimum temperature of 21.5 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar recorded 23.4 degrees Celsius.The weather department has forecast very light to light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 30-40 kmph, gusting up to 50 kmph, on Monday and Tuesday.The maximum temperature in the city is likely to hover between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the IMD added.Delhi’s air quality meanwhile remained in the “moderate” category on Saturday morning.The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 108 at 9 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The city had recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 100, categorised as “satisfactory”, at 4 pm on Friday.The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) has forecast that Delhi’s AQI is likely to remain in the “moderate” category over the next few days.