Weeklong showers predicted as Delhi wakes up to a rainy Monday, monsoon on way

A western disturbance brought Delhi 16.6mm of rainfall till 8.30am. According to MeT department, the capital could see rain showers throughout the week.

Morning showers and pleasant weather dissipated the Monday morning blues for office-goers in the national capital region, at least for some time. The euphoria was short-lived as the showers led to waterlogging and traffic in parts of the Capital giving motorists a tough time.

Delhiites woke up to a rainy morning, as predicted, with the minimum temperatures coming down to 24 degrees Celsius, four notches below the average. (Anil Dayal / HT Photo)

Motorists take cover at a bus stand at ITO bridge.

Delhiites woke up to a rainy morning, as predicted, with the minimum temperatures coming down to 24 degrees Celsius, four notches below the average, a MeT department official said. The showers, triggered by a western disturbance, brought the city around 16.6mm of rain till 8.30am. Met officials said that the drizzle is likely to continue through the day.

Office-goers had to face traffic on some stretches in the capital on Monday.

Waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk in Gurgaon on Monday morning.

Thundershowers and rain are likely to occur in some parts of the city in the next 24 hours. The maximum temperature will be around 31 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity level was 95 per cent in the morning.

Met officials had earlier predicted that a couple of western disturbances are likely to hit Delhi-NCR this week. These systems which are actually storms coming in from West Asia would trigger rain and thundershower almost every day throughout the week. The maximum temperature which was hovering around 44 degrees Celsius even a few days before is expected to plummet by over 13 degrees.

Motorists had to wade through waterlogged roads in parts of Gurgaon after the rain showers.

Officials at the regional weather forecasting department in New Delhi are hopeful that these systems would drag the monsoon winds closer to Delhi. On Sunday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 26.6 degrees Celsius while the maximum settled at 35.6 degrees Celsius.

In Gurgaon, Monday’s showers led to waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk causing a massive two-hour jam from Manesar to Rajiv Chowk. The situation could have been worse but heavy police presence on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway ensured the stretch from Signature Towers to Sirhaul toll plaza remained clear.

Traffic jam at Hero Honda Chowk in Gurgaon on Monday morning.

Traffic was thrown out of gear between 8.30am to 10am at Manesar-Rajiv Chowk stretch. The situation was brought under control after a large contingent of police and civic officials, including police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner V Umashankar, reached Hero Honda Chowk at around 9.15am.

As per Met department officials, Gurgaon had received 32mm of rainfall till 8am.

(With PTI inputs)