NEW DELHI: Overcast skies and gusty winds swept through the capital on Wednesday, setting the stage for the southwest monsoon to arrive over Delhi within the next 24 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The city saw no rain through the day, but IMD said conditions remain favourable for the monsoon to advance over Delhi, along with parts of Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. The Northern Limit of Monsoon currently extends through neighbouring regions including Agra, Rampur and Karnal. The weather remained cloudy with strong easterly to southeasterly winds, clocking up to 25 kmph in some areas.
A light to moderate spell of rain or thunderstorms with lightning and winds reaching 30–40 kmph is likely across Delhi on Wednesday night and Thursday.
Despite the overcast conditions, rainfall remained elusive. No rain was recorded at Safdarjung or other major stations between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. Only trace amounts were observed in Ridge and Ayanagar, with Najafgarh logging 2 mm, the highest in the region.
The maximum temperature dipped further, settling at 34.9 degrees celsius at Safdarjung, 2.3 degrees celsius below normal. Other areas such as Ridge, Mungeshpur and Palam recorded temperatures in the 32–35 degrees celsius range. Minimum temperatures, however, stayed elevated, with most stations reporting lows close to 29 degrees celsius, up to 1.7 degrees celsius above normal.
The IMD has forecast generally cloudy skies with intermittent rain for the next seven days. The intensity is expected to vary from very light to moderate across districts, with thunderstorms and lightning likely to persist.