Parts of Delhi receive showers, light to moderate rain expected

The IMD data showed Safdarjung received 15.8mm of rain, Palam 8.5mm, Lodhi Road 18.5mm, Ridge 0.4mm, and Ayanagar 15.5mm in the 24 hours until 8:30am

Parts of Delhi received patchy light showers in the early hours of Monday, with gusty winds. No colour-coded alert was in place for the day, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast light to moderate rain for the rest of the day. Scattered light showers were expected to continue through this week.

Delhi received short but intense spells of rain on Sunday. (HT PHOTO)

Delhi’s air quality improved to the “satisfactory” range on Monday. An average air quality index of 65 was recorded at 9am compared to 79 at 4pm on Sunday.

The IMD data showed Safdarjung received 15.8mm of rain, Palam 8.5mm, Lodhi Road 18.5mm, Ridge 0.4mm, and Ayanagar 15.5mm in the 24 hours until 8:30am on Monday.

Delhi received short but intense spells of rain on Sunday. “Delhi and NCR [National Capital Region] recorded rain on Sunday due to the combination of three factors—the presence of the monsoon trough which south of Delhi, impact of an active western disturbance, and low-pressure area over north-west Madhya Pradesh with associated cyclonic circulation extending up to the upper tropospheric levels,” said IMD scientist Krishna Mishra. He added that more rain of lesser intensity was likely in the city this week.

Rain over the last four days covered the overall rainfall deficit, bringing monsoon into the “normal” category in Delhi. Between June 1 and July 12, Delhi received 117.8 mm of rainfall compared to the normal of 126.3 mm. South-west Delhi was the only district in the “large excess” category. Central, New Delhi, north-east, south, south-east, and west districts were in the “normal” rainfall category.

North Delhi and north-west Delhi have received the least monsoon rainfall and were in the “large deficit” category.