Parts of Delhi and its neighbouring areas received rainfall and hailstorm on Friday as the maximum temperature settled at 37.8 degrees Celsius, the warmest day of the year so far.

While the maximum temperature recorded was five notches above the season's average, the minimum temperature settled at 20.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.

Humidity was recorded at 74 per cent at 8:30 am.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorms with rainfall in the national capital for today. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle at 36 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively.

In its evening bulletin on Friday, the weather office said hailstorm and rainfall along with gusty winds with speeds of 40-60 km/hr would likely occur in isolated places of Delhi (Jafarpur, Najafgarh and IGI Airport), Gurugram, Manesar, Gannaur, Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Farukhnagar, Palwal, Aurangabad and Hodal in Haryana, and Baraut, Meerut, Modinagar, Jattari and Khair in Uttar Pradesh.

It also predicted thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rainfall in Delhi, Loni Dehat, Hindon Air Force Station, Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Sakoti Tanda, Hastinapur, Chandpur, Daurala, Baghpat, Khekra, Kithor, Garhmukteshwar, Pilakhua, Hapur, Gulaoti, Siyana, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr, Jahangirabad, Anupshahar, Shikarpur, Khurja, Pahasu, Debai, Gabhana and Aligarh.

While the day began on a sunny note, the sky turned overcast towards the evening, following which rainfall occurred at many places in Delhi-NCR.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded in the moderate category with a reading of 170, according to aqi.in.