Rains in Delhi-NCR may intensify this week: IMD

The weather department, however, will take another 24 hours to assess how much showers will intensify over the region.

Although northern India is expected to receive higher rainfall from Tuesday, the weather department will take another 24 hours to assess how much showers will intensify over the National Capital Region.

A woman with her ward amid monsoon rains in New Delhi. (PTI)

With the trough of the southwest monsoon shifting towards northern India once again, large parts of Delhi received light but incessant showers overnight, making for a cool Sunday morning.

Delhi’s minimum temperature was recorded at 24.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday, four degrees below Saturday’s minimum and three notches below normal, while the maximum was normal at 35°C. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, received 30mm of rainfall in the 24 hours from 8.30am on Saturday, adding another 1.2mm of light rain during the next nine hours till 5.30pm.

The impact of the shift of the monsoon trough is likely to bring about an increase in rain intensity from Tuesday onwards, but the amount of moisture being brought to Delhi will have to be assessed in the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department said.

“There will certainly be an increase in the intensity of rains on Tuesday or Wednesday, with the trough shifting northwards again,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at the weather office. “By Monday, we will know better how much moisture is expected to come towards the region and based on that, a forecast on the intensity of rains expected can be made.”

The Ridge station received 34.3mm of rainfall till 8.30am on Sunday, Lodhi Road recorded 28mm, Ayanagar 21.1mm and Palam 12.8mm, official data show. Mayur Vihar received the most rainfall during this period, recording 41mm of rainfall.

Till 5.30 pm on Sunday, Safdarjung had so far recorded 154.9mm of rainfall, an excess over the normal 108.1mm until July 17. The normal monthly average for July is 210.6mm.

Prior to Saturday and the early hours of Sunday, Delhi had only been receiving isolated drizzles, with some parts receiving moderate showers. So far this year, Delhi has only recorded one heavy rainfall spell at Safdarjung, coming in a 24-hour window between June 30 and July 1, when Delhi recorded 117.2mm of rainfall.

While Delhi has a green alert in place for the next six days, indicating no major weather phenomenon, the Met department has forecast light to moderate rainfall from Wednesday until next Monday. Its forecast for Monday shows isolated drizzles in parts of the capital, while Tuesday’s forecast shows light rainfall.

Delhi’s air quality index dropped down to a reading of 61 (satisfactory) on Sunday, as per Central Pollution Control Board’s daily 4pm bulletin, an improvement from 81 at 4pm on Saturday.