Overview
- The IMD kept a yellow alert in place for Delhi‑NCR, forecasting light to moderate rain, thunderstorms, lightning and surface winds of 30–40 km/h gusting to 50 km/h.
- Delhi logged its coldest March day in six years at Safdarjung with a maximum of 21.7°C and a minimum around 16°C, as this month became the wettest March since 2023 with about 9.4 mm so far.
- The western disturbance’s 1,000‑km rain band is moving east, with forecasters expecting increased rainfall over Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal as conditions ease over much of North India by evening and decline on Saturday.
- Air quality improved sharply with Delhi’s AQI dropping from the ‘moderate’ range earlier in the day to 93 in the ‘satisfactory’ category, helped by widespread showers and gusty winds.
- Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said rain and hail have affected standing rabi crops, directing coordinated loss assessments and insurance processing as states issued thunderstorm and hail alerts.