Showers over past 4 days lower Delhi’s rain deficit to 16%

An excess of 19% to a deficiency of 19% is considered the normal range by IMD, so Delhi is not categorised as rain-deficient anymore.

Safdarjung, Palam and Lodhi Road stations in Delhi have already recorded 50%, 37% and 64% rain in excess for July. The monsoon deficiency (since June 1) which was 29% on July 21 reduced to 16% on Thursday, according to data with India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Commuters wade through a water-logged road during heavy rain near Mother Dairy plant, in New Delhi.(Raj K Raj/Mohd Zakir/ Hindustan Times)

An excess of 19% to a deficiency of 19% is considered the normal range by IMD, so Delhi is not categorised as rain-deficient anymore.

Most of the rainfall which helped cover a massive monsoon deficiency of 52% (as on July 16) was recorded in the past four days between the evening of July 18 and July 22.

“The heavy and moderate spells of rain received within four days helped cover the deficiency. Since July 1 though, Delhi has received rain in 20 or 21 days but it has been extremely light or trace rainfall at most,” said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre.

But now rainfall over northwest India, including Delhi, will reduce significantly with the western end of the monsoon trough moving northwards. “The monsoon trough is moving to the Himalayan foothills and the wind direction has changed to northwesterly over north-west India. Even in the hills there is no wind convergence as such. So, there will be very light rain in the hills and northern plains, if at all. Around July 26, the monsoon trough will start shifting, bringing a lot of rain to north-west India,” added Shrivastava.