Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed moderate rainfall and thunderstorms on Friday morning as an active western disturbance affected north India. According to the weather department, temperatures are expected to fall sharply, with the maximum temperature likely to remain around 19 degrees Celsius.

An orange alert has been issued for thunderstorms and rain in Delhi-NCR, Punjab, and Haryana due to the prevailing weather system.

Despite the rainfall, air quality in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 302 on Friday. Noida recorded a “poor” AQI of 293, while Gurugram also remained in the same category with an AQI of 272.

The Air Quality and Weather Forecasting System (AQWS) has predicted that air quality may improve to the “moderate” category on January 23 and 24, before slipping back to “poor” on January 25.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) revoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on Thursday evening. This decision came two days after Stage IV was lifted due to improved air quality.

However, measures under Stages I and II will remain in force. A ban on construction and demolition activities, including earthwork, piling, trenching, and road construction, will continue.

The western disturbance has also impacted other parts of north India. Jammu city received rainfall, while Gulmarg and several areas in Kashmir experienced fresh snowfall. Officials said snowfall began late Thursday evening in Gulmarg, located in Baramulla district.

Due to continuous snowfall, Srinagar Airport has warned that airline operations may take longer than expected to resume.

Uttarakhand is likely to witness rain and snowfall after a long dry spell. An orange alert has been issued for districts including Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli, where heavy rain and snowfall are expected. Other districts are under a yellow alert due to the possibility of hailstorms and strong winds.

The fresh spell of precipitation is expected to help ease dry conditions and lower the risk of forest fires in the hill state.