Dust storm, light rain and cloudy Sunday predicted in Delhi: IMD

Dust or thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds and lightning is expected in Delhi on Saturday, according to the India Meteorological Department. Light rain is also predicted and is expected to bring relief from the sweltering temperature.

Weather experts have predicted partly cloudy sky with the possibility of development of thunder and lightning in Delhi on Sunday, on a day the city goes for polling in the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 24.4 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average while the maximum is likely to settle at 40 degrees Celsius, a weather official said.

Humidity was recorded at 52 per cent.

The heat wave conditions are very likely to prevail over some parts of Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana during the next 24 hours and in isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Bengal during next 48 hours, the weather department predicted. Due to the current western disturbance and ongoing moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea, rainfall or thunderstorm activity very likely over many parts of northwest India.

Rainfall or thunderstorm activity also likely to increase over northeast and peninsular India from today. "Isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and Meghalaya during next four days," the weather forecasting agency said in its report.

Read: Apocalyptic: Hair-raising Video Shows A Huge Blanket Of Dust Inching Closer Towards Rajasthan

Earlier, as per reports, Delhi's air quality nosedived to ''very poor'' and is expected to deteriorate further to ''severe'' category due to dust storm in northwest India, the Centre-run SAFAR said. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) was at 341 on Wednesday which falls in ''very poor'' category.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ''good'', 51 and 100 ''satisfactory'', 101 and 200 ''moderate'', 201 and 300 ''poor'', 301 and 400 ''very poor'', and 401 and 500 ''severe''. 

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in the national capital was recorded at 339.

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(With inputs from agencies)