Delhi Records Highest December Rainfall In 15 Years, Mercury Drops Sharply As Air Quality Remai

Delhi News: Rain battered Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday, marking the city's highest December rainfall in the last 15 years, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The heavy showers caused the mercury to dip to 14.6°C, with a significant impact on traffic and urban infrastructure.

The rain, which began early Thursday at around 2:30 am, persisted through Friday. As per IMD data, the city recorded 9.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Friday. The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, reported an additional 30.2 mm of rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. This brought the month's total to 42.8 mm—the highest since 2009. In contrast, the all-time highest December rainfall was recorded in 1884 at 134.4 mm.

Rainfall measurements at various observatories until 5:30 pm on Friday included 31.4 mm at Palam, 34.2 mm at Lodhi Road, 33.4 mm at Ridge, 39 mm at Delhi University, and 35 mm at Pusa, news agency PTI reported.