NEW DELHI: Capital witnessed light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunder and gusty winds on Thursday, offering residents respite from the July heat and keeping temperatures below the seasonal average. The India Meteorological Department recorded scattered rainfall across the city, while forecasting continued cloudy skies and intermittent rain in the coming days.
The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s base weather station, logged 5.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am, with another 8.7 mm recorded by 5:30 pm. Several other stations, including Palam (20 mm total), Ridge (16 mm), Lodi Road (16.2 mm), and Pusa (20.5 mm), also reported significant rain spells.
The maximum temperature at Safdarjung was recorded at 34.3 degrees celsius, nearly 1 degrees celsius below normal, while the minimum plunged to 23.6 degrees celsius, over 3.5 degrees celsius below normal for this time of year. This marks a notable drop in night temperatures for mid-July, attributed to the impact of a depression over northwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining southwest Uttar Pradesh, which is moving west-northwest and is expected to weaken in the next 24 hours.
Strong gusts of wind reaching speeds of up to 45 kmph accompanied the showers during the day. The IMD noted the presence of a monsoon trough running through north and central India, along with a cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan, contributing to the prevailing wet spell.
According to the forecast, Delhi is likely to see generally cloudy skies with very light to light rain over the next few days. However, thunderstorms with lightning may return early next week, particularly between July 21 and 24.
Humidity levels remained high, with the Safdarjung station recording a maximum of 100% and a minimum of 65%. Winds shifted across directions during the day, from northeasterly to southeasterly, with speeds varying between 15 and 25 kmph. No weather warnings have been issued for the region yet, though the IMD has advised residents to remain alert.