NEW DELHI: Light showers and cold winds swept through Delhi on Sunday, bringing down the maximum temperature to 17.2° C, five degrees below the normal for this month, the India Meteorological Department said. The minimum temperature settled at 6.4° C while the relative humidity was recorded at 95% at 8:30 am. The IMD recorded 3.3 mm of rain till 5.30 pm.
Cloudy skies with light thundershowers are expected during the day on Monday, with the maximum temperature hovering at around 17oC while the minimum temperature is likely to be around 10oC.“Isolated hailstorms may occur over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand on Sunday and Monday. Strong surface winds of 20-30 kmph may also occur over northwest India during the next two days,” the IMD said.
The minimum temperature this month, which had touched 10oC last week, has started dipping again. It was on Saturday recorded at 6.1oC, three degrees below normal, according to the IMD data.The overcast conditions and rainfall in Delhi is due to an intense western disturbance over Afghanistan and the neighbouring area, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Beating Retreat ceremony to mark the end of the Republic Day celebrations was held amid the rainfall at Vijay Chowk. Music bands of the security forces performed patriotic songs in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.