Dark clouds settled over the national capital on Tuesday as the India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert warning of thunderstorms, rainfall, gusty winds and even hail in some areas. The alert covers large parts of the city and remains in effect for the next few hours, with changing weather expected through the day.

Delhi Weather: Area-wise thunderstorm warning

According to the weather office, several parts of Delhi, including New Delhi, Central, West, North West, Outer North, North East, Shahdara and East districts, are likely to see rain and thunderstorms. Some pockets in South and South West Delhi may also experience similar conditions as clouds continue to build.

Also Read: Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad weather alert: Here's what IMD has predicted for the whole week

The department has also flagged the possibility of hailstorms in isolated locations, adding to the day’s unsettled weather pattern.

Delhi weather today rain time

Morning to early afternoon: Mostly cloudy to partly sunny; rain chances remain low initially
Afternoon to evening: This is the main window for rain/thunderstorms
Late evening/night: Conditions may settle, but brief showers can still pop up in some areas

If you're planning your day:

• Before 2–3 PM: relatively safer window
• 3 PM onward: keep an umbrella handy
• Evening commute: Highest chance of rain

Delhi temperature

The shifting weather has pulled temperatures down across the region. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 33 degrees Celsius, which is lower than what is typical for this time of year.

Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather told PTI, 'The maximum temperature will be significantly below normal as there has been rain across north India. Similar conditions are likely to persist for the next one to two days, with temperatures remaining below normal.'

Delhi AQI: Cleaner air offers brief relief

The spell of rain has also improved air quality in the capital. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 69 during the morning hours, placing it in the ‘satisfactory’ category.

As per official classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is marked ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and anything above 400 falls into the ‘severe’ category.

The sudden shift in weather points to a short-term cooling trend, but also signals potential disruption due to strong winds and storms. The forecast suggests that these conditions may continue for another day or two, keeping both temperatures and pollution levels in check for now.