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A spell of unexpected rain swept through Delhi and surrounding regions on Friday evening, bringing down temperatures and offering a welcome break from the sweltering summer heat. The downpour, accompanied by gusty winds and dust storms, hit several parts of the National Capital Region (NCR), including Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad.
Prominent areas like Connaught Place witnessed intense showers, with visuals showing drenched streets and commuters caught off guard. Lightning and strong winds added to the dramatic shift in weather, which occurred just as the city was reeling from soaring temperatures earlier this week.
Finally weather is kinder in Delhi pic.twitter.com/RmWO52kNmF
— deno (@denobhat) April 18, 2025
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Some respite from heat. Rained in evening in Noida. Delhi NCR #Weather #Rain #DelhiNCR #Noida #Delhi #AprilRain pic.twitter.com/fN98JwQfGD
— Shadab Ahmed (@ShadabPost) April 18, 2025
The #Norwester affecting the twin city #Bhubaneswar & #Cuttack with winds of 45-55 kph with adjoining #Angul district. Very to extremely intense rainfall is also taking place along with it.Its likely to move eastward.Other parts to see rain
📷© – from #Cuttack by @AbhisekSahooCA pic.twitter.com/fTic0A38DU— Cyclone Analysers (@CycloneAnalyser) April 18, 2025
Meteorological Forecast and Wind Activity
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier predicted a change in weather conditions for the evening, with forecasts of partly cloudy skies in the morning turning generally cloudy by nightfall. Thunderstorms, light rain, and surface winds touching 40–50 km/h — with gusts reaching up to 60 km/h — were expected.
According to IMD officials, the sudden weather activity was a result of western disturbances interacting with local heat buildup. These disturbances tend to create instability in the atmosphere, leading to convective storms and localized rainfall.
For Saturday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 38°C and 26°C, respectively, with intermittent cloud cover expected to persist.
Air Quality Remains a Concern Despite Rain
Despite the brief showers, Delhi’s air quality continued to hover in the ‘poor’ category. As of 4 PM on Friday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 219 — a level deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The AQI categories are as follows:
- 0–50: Good
- 51–100: Satisfactory
- 101–200: Moderate
- 201–300: Poor
- 301–400: Very Poor
- 401–500: Severe
Although rains typically help in settling airborne pollutants, officials noted that the accompanying dust storm may have offset any major short-term improvement in air quality.
