New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) The national capital woke up to cloudy skies on Monday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting generally overcast conditions and the possibility of very light rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning till afternoon. Air quality across the city remained in the moderate category.

While Delhi is expected to witness brief weather activity, neighbouring regions are likely to experience relatively stable conditions. Ghaziabad is forecast to see clear skies with no rainfall, while Noida is also expected to remain clear. Gurugram, however, may experience partly cloudy conditions through the day.

The cooling effect from recent showers persisted on Sunday, even though temperatures saw a slight rise compared to Saturday. The maximum temperature settled at 29.5 degrees Celsius, which is still 2 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 15.6 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees Celsius below normal.

According to IMD projections, cloudy skies are expected to dominate the weather pattern throughout the week. The maximum temperature is likely to gradually increase, reaching 32-34 degrees Celsius by Saturday, while minimum temperatures may hover between 16 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius.

Delhi has already witnessed two spells of light rainfall in March due to western disturbances -- first between March 15 and 16, and then from March 19 to 21. The IMD has indicated that temperatures may climb to 30-32 degrees Celsius on Monday and further rise to 32-34 degrees by March 26.

From March 24 onwards, rainfall activity is expected to subside, with partly cloudy skies prevailing. Daytime temperatures are likely to range between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius, while nighttime temperatures may stay between 14 and 16 degrees Celsius. Similar conditions are expected on March 25, with a slight increase in daytime temperatures to 31-33 degrees Celsius.

By March 26, cloud cover is expected to increase again, with generally cloudy skies and temperatures ranging between 32-34 degrees Celsius during the day and 16-18 degrees Celsius at night. However, no significant rainfall is anticipated during this period.

Earlier, on March 21, dense fog and widespread cloud cover enveloped Delhi and adjoining NCR areas following heavy rainfall, marking the coldest March day in the past six years.

Air quality readings across several monitoring stations in Delhi remained in the moderate range, including Anand Vihar (196), Ashok Vihar (114), Bawana (146), Burari Crossing (102), Chandni Chowk (181), DTU (90), IIT Delhi (104), Narela (118), Punjabi Bagh (124), Pusa (164), R.K. Puram (165), Shadipur (126), and Wazirpur (161).

--IANS

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