Pre-monsoon showers drench Delhi; monsoon in a day or two

The south-west monsoon is likely to hit the national capital in a day or two as pre-monsoon showers drenched the city today, bringing respite to denizens braving intense heat wave for the past week.     

Various parts of the city received rains during the past 12 hours ending 8:30 am which brought down the temperature to tolerable levels of 25 degree Celsius, the MeT Office said.     

"The capital received pre-monsoon showers today. Monsoon showers are expected in a day or two," the Duty Officer at Meteorological Department in Safdarjung, said.     

The rain guages of the Weather Office has measures 6.8 mm of showers in the city between 5:30 pm last evening and 8:30 am today. The city has received over 10 mm of rains in the past three days.     

The Weatherman said the minimum temperature dropped by over four degrees to touch 25 degree Celsius. Yesterday, the minimum was 29.2 degree Celsius.     

However, the rains have brought in high humidity with the city experiencing 87 per cent humidity in the morning. The humidity levels oscillated between 42 and 72 per cent.     

Delhi had missed its June 29 date, the normal onset day for the annual rains here, with monsoon but since Sunday, the city has been receiving showers.

The showers have brought respite for Delhiites facing searing heat and massive power cuts coupled with water shortage.  

The capital has been witnessing intense heatwave for the past few days with maximum temperature hovering around 44 degrees. Last year, the maximum had not crossed 40 degree Celsius in June, with the highest of 38.7 degrees being recorded on the first day of the month.  

Similarly, in 2001, the maximum had not crossed the 40-degree mark in the month. The record for the maximum temperature in June stands at 46.7 degree Celsius on June 17, 1945.  

The Weather Office's projection of likely monsoon in Delhi is based on its assertion that the monsoon had covered about 80 per cent of the country. Aided by the low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, monsoon has covered entire Central India and some parts of Rajasthan and West Uttar Pradesh.  

Weather scientists said that Delhi may get monsoon rains by July two and more vigorous falls by next week.  

"Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon over some more parts of Rajasthan, remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and some parts of east Rajasthan and west UP in the next two days," B P Yadav, Director of India Meteorological Department, has said.