More squall,rain forecast

IT was a story of hit and miss around 3 pm Friday as the dust storm picked up pace and the subsequent rain gathered momentum. Those who were outdoors were hit by the fury,but those indoors certainly missed out on the welcome relief that sent the mercury southward.

From 42 degrees Celsius in mid-afternoon,the face of the city changed as dense clouds replaced the scorching sun and a 55-kmph storm grayed the horizon further. Within a matter of half an hour,the cooling and destruction was complete: while trees were uprooted,branches were pulled down and hoardings and parts of houses collapsed,the squall and rain also brought the temperature down by four degrees,to 38.

Officials at Safdarjung weather office recorded 1 mm rain. The bad news: waterlogging is back even with so little rain. In North Delhi,the road from Vishwavidyalaya Metro station to Rajghat was filled with water and this interrupted traffic for some time.

A official at Safdarjung Met Department said more rain is expected on Saturday — a forecast shared by the weather update on BBC website that suggests heavy rain on the weekend,especially on Sunday. But the Meteorological Department’s website suggests despite bringing down the temperatures today,the rain will ring in very little difference in Saturday’s maximum.