NEW DELHI: A good downpour on Wednesday broke the long and punishing spell of humid heat in Delhi which was reeling under severe heatwave since early July. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base station, received 52.4 mm rainfall, of which over 50 mm was just within a span of three hours. Though the ‘moderate to heavy’ showers brought the much-awaited relief, the citizens found it difficult to commute in jammed roads and were stuck in traffic for hours.
The weather department has issued an ‘Orange’ alert for July 21-26, said officials. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, other parts of the city such as Palam weather station saw a heavy rain spell receiving 92.4 mm rainfall, Lodhi Road station received 64 mm rain while Ridge received 21 mm, Aya Nagar recorded 46.9 mm rain, Gurgaon 12.6 mm, Najafgarh 1.5 mm, Pitampura 9.5 mm, Pusa 32 mm, Sports Complex station 19 mm and SPS Mayur Vihar 3 mm.
IMD scientists monitoring daily rainfall data said that after June 30, the day when monsoon arrival was announced in the capital, this is the first widespread rain spell covering most districts in the NCR. “Most areas received moderate rainfall while some pockets saw a heavy spell within duration of three hours. The rain and gusty winds was brought by the shifting of the monsoon trough to the northern plains, covering the belt from Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, UP and Delhi. The cooling effect was felt in the atmosphere by evening, which will reflect in the drop in temperatures to be recorded on Thursday,” said R K Jenamani, senior IMD scientist.
The maximum temperature was 35.1 degrees C, which is normal for this time of the year, while minimum settled at 28.2 degrees C, a notch above the season’s average. He said, “Overcast skies and gusty winds are likely to keep both the mercury and humidity levels in check over the next three-four days.” Meanwhile, commuters had a harrowing day navigating through traffic with most stretches being waterlogged from Delhi to NCR towns. Social media was afloat with angry commuters posting pictures of waterlogged roads and traffic moving at a snail s pace.
The key stretches that saw major traffic snarls include Gurgaon -Delhi expressway, NH-8, DND flyover (linking Noida -Delhi), Moolchand underpass, Aurobindo Marg, Delhi Cantonment, among others.