Heavy rainfall lashes Delhi, IMD predicts overcast conditions through the day

The Safdarjung station, representational of Delhi’s weather, recorded 5.3mm of rainfall for the 24-hour period till 8:30 am, with Pitampura recording 35.5mm and Palam logging 19.2mm

Heavy rainfall lashed the national capital on Thursday morning, bringing down the temperature below 30 degrees Celsius as the weather department has forecast overcast sky for most parts of the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Delhi.

People commute through a waterlogged road amid heavy rains in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

The Safdarjung station, representational of Delhi’s weather, recorded 5.3mm of rainfall for the 24-hour period till 8:30 am, with Pitampura recording 35.5mm and Palam logging 19.2mm, IMD data showed.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 26.5 degrees Celsius today – a notch below normal. It was 27.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. IMD’s forecast showed that the maximum should largely hover around the 35-degree C mark today, vis-a-vis 36.3 degrees Celsius yesterday.

“Monsoon rains will continue in the next few days too and some rainfall is likely every day till July 12. A western disturbance will also approach the region on July 8, which may once again lead to moderate rainfall in some parts of the city,” IMD scientist Kuldeep Srivastava said.

So far, July has recorded 32.6mm of rainfall. The long-period average (LPA) is 209.6mm. Last year, Delhi recorded 286.3mm of rainfall this month at a surplus of 37%.

Waterlogging was reported in several parts of Delhi after about half an hour of rain, including in Dwarka, Pitampura, Najafgarh and IP Estate. Officials said that efforts are being made to drain out the water, which will take about two hours.

“Temporary pumps have been installed and three complaints were received since morning. All the complaints are being addressed,” said a PWD official.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi also received a complaint of an uprooted tree on the road.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) improved slightly today, and was in the satisfactory category (80) at 10 am. The AQI is likely to remain satisfactory for the next few days because of the monsoon.

The CPCB classifies AQI between 0-50 as good, between 51 and 100 as satisfactory, between 101 and 200 as moderate, between 201 and 300 as poor, between 301 and 400 as very poor and over 400 as severe.