Rain to intensify later this week: Met

Some parts of the city received over 100mm rainfall on Wednesday, and officials of the India Meteorological Department said showers were likely to intensify in the coming days.

The Capital on Wednesday continued to receive moderate to heavy rain, with temperatures settling around 35 degrees Celsius a day after monsoon hit Delhi, 16 days behind schedule.

Vehicles make their way through flooded road after heavy rainfall at NH-24, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

Some parts of the city received over 100mm rainfall on Wednesday, and officials of the India Meteorological Department said showers were likely to intensify in the coming days.

IMD recordings showed that, the distribution of rain on Wednesday was patchy -- Safdarjung weather station recorded 54.6mm, Palam 10.8mm, Lodhi Road 62.8mm, the Ridge weather station 118.8mm, and Aya Nagar 13.3mm of rain.

“Isolated and scattered rainfall is expected over north-west India till July 16, with isolated, heavy rains over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh north Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh and south Uttar Pradesh between July 17 and July 19,” IMD in its Wednesday forecast.

Officials also said that Delhi was likely to receive “normal to slightly below normal” rain this monsoon.

“There are various meteorological parameters — such as easterly winds and monsoon trough, among others — a combination of which determine the intensity of the rainfall received in a particular area. Looking at the current parameters, it can be predicted that Delhi may have a near-normal monsoon,” a senior Met official said.

Temperatures on Wednesday were slightly higher than the previous day, but officials forecast a dip in the mercury from July 17 because of increased rainfall.

The maximum temperature at the Safdarjung observatory on Wednesday was 35°C, higher than Tuesday’s 30.9°C, but within the normal temperature range for this time of the year. The minimum temperature was 26°C, a notch below normal.

At Palam, the daytime temperature was 34.5°C, one degree below normal, and the minimum temperature was 27°C.

Akshay Deoras, an independent weather forecaster and PhD student at University of Reading in England, said, “It seems that this weekend will be good for rains in Delhi, particularly July 18, since current forecast suggests reduced maximum temperature on July 18, cloud cover and good rainfall in the region.”

The southwest monsoon arrived in Delhi on Tuesday, after several incorrect predictions by IMD. This is the most delayed monsoon onset in the national capital since 2002, when monsoon rains arrived on July 19. According to the weather office, the usual date for monsoon onset in Delhi is June 27.