Light rain brings temporary relief after hot, dry day

New Delhi: The city experienced a hot and dry day with a further spike in the maximum temperature that reached 41 degrees Celsius.

However, around 8:30 pm, the city got a much-needed respite from the heat in the form of very light rain .

The rain brought temperatures down. The weather department expects the respite to continue on Saturday.

No heatwave has been issued for the next six days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD), however, has issued a yellow alert for Saturday as light rain to a drizzle and thunderstorms with strong winds up to 40-50 km/h and occasional gusts up to 60 km/h are expected.

The maximum on Friday at the city's base station, Safdarjung, was 41 degrees Celsius, 4.2 notches more than the season's normal. Ayanagar recorded 40.4 degrees and was the second warmest area of the city. The humidity oscillated between 32% and 68%.

The minimum temperature was 25.6 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal. "By 8.30 pm, the wind speed had reached up to 33 km/h over Pragati Maidan," an IMD official said.

According to IMD, the maximum and minimum temperatures on Saturday are expected to be 37-39 degrees Celsius and 25-27 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The city's air quality index read 219 on Friday. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) has said the AQI could improve to moderate levels on Saturday.