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Foggy morning, rainy night take hold of city
Gurugram The city received a spell of heavy rain on Thursday night, leaving several areas waterlogged. Light showers began towards the evening, which intensified
Gurugram The city received a spell of heavy rain on Thursday night, leaving several areas waterlogged. Light showers began towards the evening, which intensified around 9pm, and lasted for about an hour.
Waterlogging was reported on MG Road, in sectors 27, 28 and 29, DLF Phase-3, Cyber City, sectors 30, 31 and 57, Palam Vihar, Udyog Vihar, sectors 47 and 50, and Sohna Road, according to officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).
Commuters were caught unawares in the downpour. However, no major traffic jam was reported as the rains lashed the city after the evening peak hours. Traffic police officials said since the intensity of the rain increased after the peak traffic hours, there was no major congestion on city roads. They said Sohna Road and Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway experienced localised minor snarls, but vehicles continued to move.
Light to moderate rain is predicted in intervals on Friday.
Residents also felt the winter chill on Thursday as the maximum temperature dropped to a season-low of 20.6 degrees Celsius, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Thursday’s temperature was around three degrees below the normal for this time of the year, and saw a fall of around two degrees Celsius from the previous day’s temperature.
The day began with heavy fog, reducing visibility to a few hundred metres. The sky remained cloudy throughout.
The drop in the day temperature was due to increased cloud cover and subsequent rain, according to meteorologists. The weather conditions on Thursday have paved the way for colder days, experts said, adding that chilly winds post-Friday would lead to a fall in day temperatures and heavier fog.
The maximum temperature could fall further, by another degree or two, on Friday due to the rain and cloudy weather, according to officials of the IMD.
The current spell of rainfall is attributed to an active western disturbance over the northern Himalayas, resulting in a cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan and adjoining Pakistan, according to experts.
“This weather system will lose strength around Saturday and vacate the region, creating conditions for winds from the Himalayas to blow over the northern plains. Day temperatures, as a result, will start plummeting around the same time and, the difference between the minimum and maximum temperatures will reduce,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre at New Delhi.
Moderate to dense fog has been predicted early morning after Saturday.
The minimum temperature, however, increased to 12.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, from 7.8 degrees Celsius the previous day, due to overnight clouding. It was three degrees Celsius above normal, as per the IMD. The minimum temperature on Friday is also expected to be above the normal, before dropping again to around 7 degrees Celsius.
