Rain pushes Delhi's mercury below 30°C; showers may ease today, says Met

Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station for weather, had a high of 29.2°C – five below normal and Delhi’s lowest maximum temperature for August since 29°C on August 21, 2020.

The Capital received light to moderate showers on Sunday, with the maximum temperature dropping below the 30-degree Celsius mark.

Vehicles wade through a heavily water logged street after sudden rains at Rohtak Road in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, August 7, 2022. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station for weather, had a high of 29.2°C – five below normal and Delhi’s lowest maximum temperature for August since 29°C on August 21, 2020.

While Safdarjung recorded only 2.7mm of rain through the day, moderate rainfall was recorded in south-west Delhi, with Palam receiving 33.3mm of rainfall till 5.30 pm, followed by 22.0mm at Ayanagar.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) meanwhile forecast a drop in the intensity of rain from Monday, forecasting isolated drizzle activity. It added that no rain is likely on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Overcast conditions prevailed across the city on Sunday with only three weather stations in Delhi – Najafgarh, Mungeshpur and Pusa, breaching the 30-degree threshold. In comparison, Delhi’s minimum was 27.4 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal.

Till 5.30pm on Sunday, Safdarjung had recorded 20.1mm of rainfall so far this month, however Palam in the same period has now received 82mm of rainfall.

Normally in August, Safdarjung records 247.7mm of rainfall, making it Delhi’s wettest month in terms of rainfall for the entire year.

Met officials however say Delhi is unlikely to add much rain until August 13, adding that weather conditions will need to become ideal again for any notable spell of showers.

The Met forecast for the next three days shows that the maximum could return to around 36°C by Wednesday, while the minimum will be around 28°C, with humidity levels once again remaining high.

In terms of air quality, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the ‘moderate’ range with a reading of 118 (moderate) as per Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily 4pm bulletin.

It was 98 (satisfactory) on Saturday. This is expected to return closer to the ‘satisfactory’ range in the next 24 hours, owing to pollutants settling down after Sunday’s spell.