Rain fails to dampen Republic Day spirit in the Capital

Delhi saw light rains on Thursday morning but city dwellers came out in large numbers to celebrate the 68th Republic Day at the historic Rajpath.

Delhi saw light rains on Thursday morning but city dwellers came out in large numbers to celebrate the 68th Republic Day at the historic Rajpath.

Delhi saw light rains on Thursday morning but city dwellers came out in large numbers to celebrate the 68th Republic Day at the historic Rajpath. (PTI File Photo)

The met department recorded a rainfall of 0.2 mm at Safdarjung in the morning while the minimum temperature was 16 degree Celsius - 7 degrees above what’s normal for this time of the year.

Weather conditions are not going to improve even later in the day.

“There’s going to be partly cloudy sky for the rest of the day. Rains/thundershowers will continue too,” an official of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

While a few came prepared for the rain and took out their umbrellas and raincoats to cover themselves, scores of others used the RDay brochures to avoid getting wet. People were a bit disappointed during the flypast as visibility was low due to cloudy weather conditions.

“I could only hear the sound the planes, but couldn’t see them. I wish it was a clear sky today,” Ratna Kumar, who attended the celebrations, said.

Even as the minimum remained above 15 degrees, Delhiites still felt the winter chill due to winds.

“It feels colder because of the rain and there is a mild breeze too. Western disturbance and its induced circulations have caused snowfall in northern India and now it is active in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR),” the official added.

The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 20 degrees Celsius. Last night areas including Gurgaon, Hauz Khas Village, RK Puram, Anand Vihar and parts of West Delhi witnessed rains last night.

The weatherman has predicted shallow fog but no rains for Friday.

“It’s still going to be cold as the difference between the minimum and maximum is not going to be much. But rains are unlikely,” an official at the met department said.

The minimum temperature is likely to be 15 degree Celsius and the maximum could be 19 degree Celsius.