NEW DELHI: Continuous downpour in the national capital and neighbouring districts inundated most parts of the city on Friday, taking September’s rainfall count, which was so far running into a deficit of
46 per cent, to an excess of 16 per cent within just over 24 hours.
More showers are likely across Delhi-NCR over the weekend, state weather officials said. A yellow alert has been issued for Saturday.
On Friday, Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, received 72 mm rainfall in 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Rainfall above 64.4 mm is considered ‘heavy’.
This was the third consecutive day when Delhi-NCR received light to moderate showers, bringing the maximum temperature on Friday to 27.6-degree Celsius, seven notches below the season’s normal.
According to IMD officials, September-end showers are a result of a combination of two weather systems.
“For September, this is the first heavy rainfall spell over the NCR. It was mainly caused by the remnants of a low pressure system, and the intense circulation interacting with a Western disturbance. There is a direct moisture supply from the Arabian Sea, with the main activity now having shifted northwards, towards Uttarakhand,” senior IMD scientist R K Jenamani said.
Saturday brings chances of increased rainfall. “From September 25 night onwards, rainfall will start reducing over Delhi and Haryana. Dry weather will start developing again. The monsoon withdrawal process is likely to begin from September 28-29 from Northwest India,” Jenamani said.
However, the season still may end in a deficit, as the cumulative rainfall received so far is 482.9 mm (till September 23), as against the normal rainfall count of 629.7 mm by this time of the year. The scant rain caused a long wave of hot and humid days from August to mid-September 15. The whole of August did not receive a single heavy or even moderate rain spell and ended with a huge rain deficit of 82 per cent. Only July, with a few heavy spells, saw excess rain of 37 per cent.
Temperature comes tumbling down
Friday was the third consecutive day when Delhi-NCR received light to moderate showers, bringing the maximum temperature on Friday to 27.6-degree Celsius, seven notches below the season’s normal. Saturday brings chances of increased rainfall, and a yellow alert has been issued.