Monsoon Enthral People of Delhi, July Deficit Still Continues

Delhi received intense but brief rainfall on Monday, providing temporary relief from heat but failing to overcome July's precipitation deficit. The shower caused waterlogging and traffic issues. More rain is expected, with temperatures remaining high in the coming days.

Delhi had thundershowers on Monday afternoon that lasted for only half an hour and gave the people of the capital a relief from the burning heat but could not make up for the July deficit. The IMD indicated that some areas of west, central, north, and southwest delhi experienced light to moderate rains.

The Safdarjung Observatory that provides official weather data of Delhi received 31. Atleast 4mm of rainfall in a given day especially during the periods of the day that are between 8:30am and 5:30pm. Still, this shower has ensured that the overall rainfall in Delhi remains 118 for the entire month of July. It measures 2mm, which is significantly thinner than the average width of 143. 4mm is usually captured by 21st of July.

Speaking to Skymet, Mahesh Palawat, the vice president, said that July turned out to be the hottest month of the year and the monsoon trough remained south of Delhi for a major part of July. The monsoon trough shifted closer to Delhi, moisture from a western disturbance, and high daytime temperatures on Monday helped cause Wednesday’s rain.

There was some disruption due to the rain as some parts of the city experienced some form of flooding thus creating traffic snarl up on the major thoroughfares. Advisories were also been issued by the Delhi Traffic Police which informed about congestion at GT Road in northeast Delhi, Firni Road at Najafgarh and New Rohtak Road in west Delhi.

The day was wet and cool though the temperatures were high with a maximum of thirty six. 4°C recorded on Monday. However, the wet bulb temperature, signifying thermal discomfort, decreased from 30°C at 11:30am to 27. The other type of weather change was of less temperature by 6°C at 2:30 pm because of the rainfall and strong winds.

Also Read: Heavy Rains Prompt Red Alerts Across Western and Southern India

The IMD has predicted a similar type of rains for Tuesday and Wednesday with maximum temperatures predicted to vary between 34-35 degrees Celsius. After the rain which came it has been relieving, Delhi will require more moderate rain to help it get to the normal July average of 209. 7mm.