Overnight Rain Brings Winter Chill and Clears Air Quality Across Noida and NCR
Overnight heavy rain brought a sudden winter-like chill to Noida, Ghaziabad, and Delhi on Friday morning, significantly cooling temperatures and clearing regional air pollution. Rain-soaked roads, overcast skies, and brisk winds swept through the National Capital Region, offering local residents early relief from warmer autumn days.
The showers led to an immediate improvement in air quality. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, the Air Quality Index dropped to 133, placing it in the 'Moderate' category by 4:00 AM on Friday. This marked a sharp decrease from Wednesday and Thursday, when readings remained above 200 in the 'Poor' category.
The India Meteorological Department had previously issued a yellow alert on October 29 for Delhi and neighbouring NCR districts, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, and rain over a 24 to 48-hour period. Across parts of Delhi, heavy showers continued throughout the night in areas such as Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station and Jamia Millia Islamia.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in New Delhi, cloudy conditions along with one or two spells of light to moderate rain were forecast across Noida, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Gurugram, and Faridabad. Officials noted that some areas could experience isolated heavy downpours at night, while several locations faced light to moderate rain on October 30.
Meteorologists indicated that the wet spell would begin tapering off by October 31, with skies turning partly cloudy on Saturday. The weather department issued green alerts for November 1 and November 2, projecting mainly clear skies and stable atmospheric conditions without significant disturbances.
The regional rainfall is linked to a remnant cyclonic circulation driving intense precipitation across north, central, and eastern India. While the weather will stabilize in Noida and the NCR over the weekend, the India Meteorological Department warned of potential flash flood risks in eastern Uttar Pradesh districts, including Sonbhadra, Ghazipur, and Ballia.
