Rains cool,but it’s not the monsoon

Though this means the monsoon will hit the city eight days later than the normal date,the city won’t be baking under the sun till then. The IMD believes pre-monsoon showers will keep Delhi cool till monsoon rains arrive and take charge of the job.

Meanwhile,Delhi woke up to a cool Sunday with pre-monsoon showers lashing the city since early in the morning. Soon,the minimum temperature dropped to 25.5 degrees,three degrees below normal. On Saturday,the minimum temperature was recorded at 30.5 degrees.

The showers were stronger in areas like Faridabad,Palam and Gurgaon,while Delhi University,Pitampura and Narela witnessed just a drizzle. The Safdarjung Met Department received 15.9 mm rainfall in the morning and another 1.4 mm till 5.30 pm. Rains are expected to intensify by Monday morning. This could cause water-logging in some areas and affect peak hour traffic.

The showers are a result of the Western Disturbance over North Pakistan which is also causing rains in Punjab and Haryana. From 39.4 degrees Celsius on Friday,the maximum temperature fell to 33 degrees on Sunday after the downpour. Monday’s temperature will be around 34 degrees Celsius during the day and around 26 degrees in the night. Tuesday and Wednesday will also witness some rain.

The monsoon,meanwhile,has advanced into the remaining parts of Gujarat,most parts of Madhya Pradesh,some more parts of southeast Rajasthan and south UP.