There’s more rain on Gurugram’s radar, mercury will drop

GURUGRAM: Moderate rainfall is expected in parts of the city on Thursday as states like Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and western UP are likely to come under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance and an upper air cyclonic circulation system associated with it. Officials said that this would be the sixth

WD

affecting the region in February.


According to Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC), thunderstorm and hailstorm, lightning and strong surface winds are likely in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan on Thursday. Isolated hailstorms are likely in NCR. An

RWFC

oficial said, “We will see overcast sky with moderate rain on Thursday, accompanied with thunderstorms and strong winds.” The rain would be followed by foggy mornings, mist and haze till February 24, he added.

According to Indian Meteorological Department, “there is already a WD and an induced low pressure area over northwest Rajasthan and its neighbourhood. Another approaching WD is likely to enhance the ongoing precipitation, thunderstorm, hailstorm and lightning activity from February 20.”

Officials said due to the rain, the minimum

temperatures

in the city will dip. The rain will increase moisture in the air which coupled with cold north-westerly winds from the Himalayas, will further push down mercury. Officials said that the

minimum

temperatures would drop from the current 15 degrees Celsius to nine by Saturday.

Rain will also bring down pollution levels, according to officials. The air quality index (AQI) in Gurugram, however, deteriorated from 141 in the ‘moderate’ category on Tuesday to 235 in the ‘poor’ category on Wednesday. The

AQI

was 257 in Ghaziabad, 237 in Greater Noida, 245 in Faridabad, 271 in Delhi and 276 in Noida, making Gurugram the least polluted city in NCR.