Rain, thunderstorms break dry spell in Delhi

The lowest maximum temperature recorded on Saturday was 23.6 degrees at Lodhi Road.

The Safdarjung weather station, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 2.2 mm of rainfall from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Earlier in the morning, the city recorded 2 mm of rainfall. Of the weather stations, the Aya Nagar observatory in South Delhi recorded the highest amount of rainfall – 8.4 mm – till 5.30 pm, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows.

Hail may have been observed in some parts of the city and in the NCR on Saturday, according to IMD scientists. “It may have occurred in North, Northeast Delhi and some parts of the NCR, but we don’t have any records from our observatories. The possibility of hail is highest in March and April, when there is thunderstorm-type activity… Temperature rises around this time, moisture is high and there is convective cloud formation,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist, IMD.

While Delhi recorded no rainfall in February, there were localised spells of rainfall in March but none that was recorded at Safdarjung, the city’s primary observatory, till Saturday. The city usually receives around 12.5 mm of rainfall till March 18, according to IMD data.

Rainfall is likely to continue over the next three days as well, going by the IMD forecast. While cloudy skies and very light rainfall or thunderstorms are on the forecast for Sunday, thunderstorms along with light rain, gusty winds and hail are likely on Monday. The IMD has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for both Sunday and Monday, which is a warning to ‘be aware’. Very light rainfall is expected on Tuesday as well.

With cloudy skies and rainfall, the maximum temperature is likely to remain below 30 degrees over the next three days, ranging from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius.

IMD scientists attribute the rainfall over Northwest India to consecutive western disturbances affecting the region.

In addition to Delhi, thunderstorms and strong winds are on the forecast for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the western Himalayan region till March 20. Two consecutive western disturbances are likely to affect the region over the next few days, one from March 19 onwards, and another from March 22 onwards, according to the IMD. In contrast, fewer western disturbances affecting the plains of Northwest India in February meant that Delhi recorded no rain last month.