NEW DELHI: Parts of Delhi recorded the first ‘heavy’ spell of rain in the current monsoon season on Wednesday.
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The day’s highest precipitation was logged in the Ridge area with 107.4mm of rainfall from 8.30am to 5.30pm. Pitampura followed with 87.5mm of rainfall in the same period. India Meteorological Department has forecast rain in the next seven days, with another spell of ‘heavy’ rain in isolated places on July 18.
Safdarjung, Delhi base station, recorded a rainfall of 28.5mm till 8.30am on Wednesday and 26.1mm from 8.30am to 5.30pm. The stations at Najafgarh, Lodhi Road, Sports Complex and Mayur Vihar received, respectively, 62.5mm, 25mm, 17.5mm and 14.5mm of rain from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
With several parts of the capital receiving ‘moderate’ to ‘heavy’ rainfall in the past two days, Delhi’s rain deficit, cumulative from June 1, has gone from 65% on Wednesday to 56% on Thursday. From June 1 to July 14, Delhi received 65.4mm of precipitation against the normal average of 147.2mm. Rainfall measured between 15.6mm and 64.4 mm is considered ‘moderate’, it is categorised as ‘heavy’ when between 64.5mm and 115.5mm.
Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, said, “There is a possibility of light rain or drizzle from Wednesday night to Thursday morning. Though light rain is expected on Thursday and Friday, the intensity of rain is likely to increase from July 17. There are chances of light rain along with a thunderstorm on July 17 and heavy rain is predicted in parts of the capital on July 18.”
Wednesday was a fairly cool July day with a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 26 degrees, one below the normal. The relative humidity oscillated between 100% and 60%.
The weather meant that Delhi’s air continued to remain in the ‘satisfactory’ category with an overall Air Quality Index of 83. SAFAR, a forecasting body, said, “Surface winds are high and with the southwest monsoons advancing into Delhi, increased rainfall activity is likely to positively influence the AQI.”
