Monsoon to hit Delhi by weekend, says Met
The showers on Thursday also waterlogged streets and damaged trees in several parts of the city and disrupted morning rush-hour traffic
The Capital woke up to cloudy skies and rain on Thursday, as the first spell of pre-monsoon showers hit the city and pulled temperatures down to their lowest in nearly eight weeks, with the national weather agency predicting that the rainy season will arrive over Delhi within “two or three days”.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also issued a yellow alert for Friday, an orange alert for Saturday and then a yellow alert till July 3, warning of heavy rain and thundershowers during this time, especially this weekend.
Delhi on Thursday clocked a maximum temperature of 35.4°C, two degrees below normal and the lowest since 33.7°C on May 1. The minimum temperature, meanwhile, read 28.6°C, less than a degree below normal and the lowest since 28.4°C on June 21.
The maximum and minimum temperatures on Wednesday were 39°C and 31.6°C respectively.
“Conditions are likely to become favourable for the southwest monsoon’s progress into parts of Delhi along with some adjoining states in the next two or three days,” said an IMD official.
“Cloudy skies will persist till next week. Light to moderate rain and gusty winds can be expected on Friday. Rain will get more intense from Saturday as the monsoon progresses further into the Capital.”
IMD also forecast that the maximum will decrease to 34°C by Sunday. The minimum is expected to touch 27°C by the weekend.
Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at private weather forecaster Skymet, said, “Thursday was the first pre-monsoon shower for Delhi. By Saturday and Sunday, the monsoon showers should start as well. A low-pressure area in central Uttar Pradesh will move to south Delhi, resulting in moderate to heavy showers.”
Areas in and around Palam recorded 15.9mm of rain in the 24 hours till 8.30am on Thursday and 17.6mm from 8.30am-5.30pm. However, no flights were disrupted at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station recorded trace rain in 24 hours till 8.30am on Thursday and 5.2mm of rain from 8.30am to 5.30pm. Lodhi Road recorded rain till 8.30am and 9.6mm of rain from there to 5.30pm, Ridge recorded rain till 8.30am and 6.2mm of rain from 8.30am-5.30pm.
Other cities in the National Capital Region (NCR), like Gurugram and Noida weather stations recorded 7.5mm and 21.5mm of rain respectively till 8.30am.
The showers on Thursday also waterlogged streets and damaged trees in several parts of the city and disrupted morning rush-hour traffic. A PWD official said they received waterlogging complaints from around a dozen locations including ITO, Mayapuri Chowk, Tagore Garden, Mother Dairy, IP Extension, Ghazipur Mandi, Ratan Lal market Paharganj, Anand Parabt on Rohtak Road and Narela Palla Road.
Control rooms of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) received waterlogging complaints from 32 locations, including Khari Baoli, Nawada Extension, Janakpuri, Vasant Kunj and Press Enclave. Trees were damaged at Freedom Fighter Colony, Palam, Jangpura police chowki, Geeta Colony and Dwarka Sector 8.
Traffic was bogged down on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and NH-24 on the carriageway towards Sarai Kale Khan from Ghaziabad due to waterlogging at the Ghazipur poultry market T-intersection.
Both carriageways of Ring Road between Dhaula Kuan and Indraprastha flyover near ITO via Ashram and Sarai Kale Khan and also faced traffic snarls during the morning hours.
Traffic congestion was also witnessed on NH-48 – the arterial road connecting Gurugram with Delhi via Mahipalpur, Dhaula Kuan-Naraina Road, in several areas in west and southwest Delhi such as Janakpuri, Uttam Nagar, and Dwarka, on Kalindi Kunj-Mithapur Road, and also near Britania Chowk in northwest Delhi.
Several motorists took to social media to post photographs and videos of traffic jams and lament about the woes caused by it. According to the Delhi Traffic Police, waterlogging was reported from Ghazipur chicken and fish market in east Delhi and near Peeragarhi village in Nangloi. Two incidents of falling of trees were reported from Pocket-3 in Mayur Vihar Phase-1 and from Guru Nanak Market in Kashmere Gate.