India, Jan. 28 -- Heavy rain and thunderstorms battered parts of the national Capital on Tuesday, dragging temperatures down sharply and triggering a deterioration in air quality. Hailstorms were also reported in some parts of outer Delhi. The national Capital recorded its highest January rainfall in four years since 2022 on Tuesday. The weather department forecasts similar conditions will prevail over Delhi-NCR on Wednesday, with wind speeds expected to touch around 60 km/hr.

With the latest spell of rain, Delhi's monthly total rainfall for January has risen to 24 mm, making it the highest January total since 2022. The wettest January day in recent years remains January 8, 2022, when the city recorded 40.6 mm of rainfall. At Safdarjung,...