After the southwest monsoon officially reached Delhi on July 2, residents expected steady showers and relief from the summer heat. Instead, the Capital has witnessed only scattered rainfall, leaving many wondering why the city has remained largely dry despite the monsoon’s arrival.
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Experts attributed Delhi’s weaker monsoon so far to weather systems in other parts of the country drawing the monsoon trough away from the Capital, earlier HT reported. “Cyclonic circulations over Madhya Pradesh and a low pressure area over Odisha had drawn the trough to central India, which has led to a reduction in rainfall. The city is likely to see the typical monsoon rain from July 5,” said Mahesh Pehlawat, vice president of Skymet Weather, a private weather forecaster.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also indicated an increase in rainfall activity over the coming days, forecasting moderate rain on Sunday, widespread showers on Monday, followed by thunderstorms through much of the week.
Delhi weather on Sunday
Delhi woke up to a warm and humid Sunday, with the minimum temperature settling at 29.2 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees above the seasonal average. As per IMD, the national capital is expected to witness a generally cloudy sky accompanied by moderate rainfall during the day, while the maximum temperature is likely to reach around 36 degrees Celsius.
Also read |Delhi to get patchy rain till Sunday: IMD
Relative humidity stood at 77 per cent at 8:30 am, adding to the muggy conditions across the city.
Humidity in Delhi
Despite below-normal daytime temperatures, Delhiites have continued to endure uncomfortable weather because of soaring humidity. On Saturday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 35.4 degrees Celsius, two degrees below the seasonal average, while the minimum settled at 29 degrees Celsius, around 1.1 degrees above normal.
Also read | How did IMD declare monsoon onset in Delhi with scanty rain?
The humidity has also pushed the heat index, or “real-feel” temperature, significantly higher. At 5:30 pm on Saturday, the heat index touched 45.4 degrees Celsius, making outdoor conditions feel much hotter than the actual air temperature.
Rainfall has also remained well below normal. Between June 1 and June 30, Delhi received 32.91 mm of rainfall against the normal 74.1 mm, leaving the city with a 55.6% rainfall deficit for the month. With the IMD forecasting more frequent showers over the next week, the coming days will determine whether the Capital finally receives the widespread rainfall it has been waiting for.
