Heavy downpours in the Delhi-NCR region led to a drop in temperature and broke the four-year rainfall record for October. After the rain, the capital's temperature fell below normal, and air quality reached the satisfactory category for the first time this month.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 41.6 mm of precipitation was recorded at Safdarjung weather station over the last 24 hours by 8:30 AM on Monday. Earlier in October, Delhi had recorded more rainfall on October 9, 2022, when about 74 mm of rain poured down in Safdarjung.
Out of five Delhi weather stations, Ridge registered the highest amount of precipitation (49 mm). This was followed by Safdarjung (41.6 mm), Lodhi Road (41.4 mm), Ayangar (39 mm), and Palm (31 mm). Between 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM, an additional 1.4 mm of rain fell in Ridge, while no rain fell in Safdarjung, Palm, Lodhi Road, and Ayangar during this period.
Flooding was observed in some areas of South Delhi, such as Sainik Farm and Mahipalpur. Rains also passed through RK Puram, Kartavya Path, and other parts of southeast and west Delhi. The Delhi Police reported via X that traffic on both lanes of Ansari Road between Dhaarmpura and Iron Bridge was diverted due to flooding.
According to weather experts, the rains are caused by a western depression over northern Pakistan, cyclonic circulation over Haryana, winds coming from the Bay of Bengal, and southwest winds from the Arabian Sea. Mahesh Palawat from SkyMet noted that this is consistent with the usual weather pattern, and that the rains are normal after the monsoon season. He predicts the possibility of intermittent rain over the next three days.
According to the IMD automatic weather station network, Kamala Nehru Nagar in Ghaziabad recorded the highest amount of precipitation—52 mm. This was followed by Pusa (42 mm), Narayana (40 mm), Janakpuri (35 mm), and Pragati Maidan (35.2 mm). Rainfall was also noted in Pitampure (24.5 mm), Chhatarpur (19 mm), Mayur Vihar (20.5 mm), Jhroda Kalan (19.5 mm), Zafarpur (4.5 mm), Najafgarh, and Mahawali (0.5 mm) and Hindan in Ghaziabad (3 mm).
Following the rains, temperatures in Delhi also remained below normal. The maximum temperature in Safdarjung was 30.2 degrees Celsius, which was 4 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in Palm was 28.4 degrees, in Lodhi Road was 29.8 degrees, in Ridge was 29.1 degrees, and in Ayangar was 29.5 degrees Celsius.
The rains contributed to the improvement of air quality in Delhi. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi on Monday was 83, which falls into the 'Satisfactory' category. This was the first instance where Delhi's air quality reached this category this month. AQI categories are defined as follows: 0 to 50 — 'Good', 51 to 100 — 'Satisfactory', 101 to 200 — 'Moderate', 201 to 300 — 'Poor', 301 to 400 — 'Very Poor', and 401 to 500 — 'Severe'.