Delhi NCR witnesses sultry day, IMD issues yellow alert from June 25-27

Delhi and NCR are expected to experience light to moderate showers from June 25 to 27 due to a low-pressure trough between Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Parts of the Capital recorded light showers in the early hours of Thursday, making for a pleasant morning, even as the second half of the day recorded high humidity levels, making it sultry.

Children cool off at the Central Vista lawns, near India Gate, on a humid Thursday. (Sanchit Khanna/ HT Photo)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a “yellow alert” from June 25 to 27 for light to moderate showers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), stating there were chances of monsoon trough touching parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh during this period.

IMD attributed Thursday’s drizzle to the continued presence of a low-pressure trough between Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, which brought moisture to the region, and may bring more light rain on Friday and Saturday. Safdarjung, representational of Delhi’s weather, recorded 2.4mm of rainfall in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Thursday, with trace rainfall being recorded in the next nine hours too.

Delhi’s maximum temperature was recorded at 37.5 degrees Celsius (°C). This was still one degree below normal for this time of the year. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was clocked at 37.6°C.

Read: Gurugram reels under waterlogged roads after heavy rainfall

Meanwhile, Delhi’s minimum was 27.6°C on Thursday – also one degree below normal. It was 27.4°C on Wednesday.

IMD has forecast that Delhi’s maximum is likely to hover around 39°C on Friday and Saturday, before plummeting to between 34°C to 36°C in the subsequent three days.

The minimum will hover around 29°C till Saturday, before dipping by 2-3 notches between Sunday and Tuesday.

“This active trough is currently expanding from Punjab till Uttar Pradesh and is likely to bring some drizzle to very light rain across NCR on Friday and Saturday too. From Sunday, we will see easterly winds bring even more moisture to Delhi NCR, with light to moderate showers expected in Delhi till Tuesday. Parts of northwest India may also record heavy showers,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD.

A relative humidity of 54% was recorded at 2.30 pm, with a temperature of 36.8°C combined for a heat index or “real feel” of 47°C. IMD’s monsoon forecast bulletin on Thursday showed favourable conditions for its advancement into the remaining parts of Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar in the next two to three days. The normal date for the onset of monsoon in Delhi is June 27.