IMD forecasts intense rain in Delhi from Wednesday

On June 1, Delhi recorded a ”very heavy” rainfall spell of 117.1mm, with the monthly rainfall total currently standing at 119.8mm.

The capital recorded trace rainfall on Monday, causing the maximum temperature in the national capital to shoot up to 36.8 degrees Celsius (°C), which was 1.1 degrees more than Sunday’s maximum of 35.7°C and normal for this time of the year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.

IMD forecasts intense rain in Delhi from Wednesday (HT File Photo)

In terms of minimum temperature, Delhi saw a low of 27.4°C on Monday, again normal for this time of the season. As per the IMD, the relative humidity oscillated between 62-89%. At 2.30pm on Monday, an air temperature of 35°C, along with a relative humidity of 62% brought Delhi’s heat index (HI) or ”real feel” to 46°C, making for an uncomfortable day.

The IMD officials said the rains are likely to pick up on Tuesday, when the city may witness light to moderate rainfall. It will intensify to “moderate to heavy rainfall” on Wednesday and an “orange” alert is already in place for the day, the met officials said.

Forecast for Tuesday shows that while Delhi’s maximum temperature is likely to stay around 36°C, the minimum will be around 26°C. This is expected to drop down to 31 and 24°C, respectively, on Wednesday, on account of overcast skies and heavy rainfall, the IMD said.

While Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station for weather, recorded 0.6mm of rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Monday, Mayur Vihar recorded 4.5mm rain, followed by 2.0mm at the Sports Complex station in Akshardham and 1.5mm in Jafarpur.

Between 8.30am on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday, Delhi recorded only 0.1mm of rainfall at Safdarjung, while it received 1.9mm of rainfall on June 2.

On June 1, Delhi recorded a ”very heavy” rainfall spell of 117.1mm, with the monthly rainfall total currently standing at 119.8mm. The normal monthly average for June is 210.6mm and officials say sustained spells of rain over the week could take the rainfall total close to the monthly average in the first week of July itself.

“Delhi will see light to moderate spells on Tuesday, but we still have a yellow alert in place. The intensity this week will be highest on Wednesday, where heavy rainfall is predicted. Rains are expected to continue till the weekend, but will reduce to an isolated drizzle by July 8 and 9,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD.

Last year, Delhi received 507.1mm of rainfall in July, nearly 2.5 times the normal monthly mark. This year, the onset of the south-west monsoon was declared in Delhi on June 30, three days behind its the normal schedule of June 27. Met officials say the south-east monsoon will remain active over north-west India this week.