New Delhi, Jul 7 (PTI) The capital witnessed the wettest day of the year so far as persistent rains till Tuesday provided much-needed relief after days of sweltering heat, but in its wake brought waterlogged roads, uprooted trees and traffic snarls across the city.
The city experienced a sharp drop in temperature as the mercury fell by almost 10 degrees Celsius.
Some parts of Delhi received almost 84 mm of rain, while widespread rains reduced the “sensible” temperature by almost 22 degrees Celsius, although humidity levels remained extremely high.
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Safdarjung recorded the steepest drop in temperature (10 degrees Celsius) between 1 pm and 2.30 pm.
Chhatarpur recorded a drop of 9.1 degrees, Najafgarh (8.9 degrees), Janakpuri (8.7 degrees), Jafarpur (8.6 degrees), Narayana (8.4 degrees), Palam and Pusa (8 degrees each), Pitampura (7.6 degrees), Mayur Vihar (7.3 degrees) and Pragati Maidan (6.7 degrees).
Heavy traffic congestion was observed on several important stretches including Geeta Colony Road towards Noida, NH-48, Old Rohtak Road and Akshardham Road towards Noida.
Waterlogging was also reported in several parts of the city after the downpour, with residents sharing images of Teliwara’s Mahavir Bazar in Sadar Bazar, Geeta Colony, near Tis Hazari Court, Sangam Vihar, Wazirabad, Jagatpur and Badarpur border, among other areas.
The rain also caused several mishaps. In one such incident, a large tree was uprooted in the downpour and fell on a parked Mercedes and another passing vehicle on a busy road east of Kailash in southeast Delhi.
Between 2 pm and 6 pm, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) received two complaints of waterlogging and falling trees.
During the same period, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) registered four complaints of uprooted trees in the Western Zone. The civic body also received two complaints about dangerous buildings, one from Tagore Garden and another from Jagatpuri.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, Najafgarh recorded the highest rainfall in Delhi, recorded at 84 mm. It was followed by The Ridge with 50.1 mm, Pusa recorded 41.5 mm, Ayanagar 32.6 mm, Mayur Vihar 19 mm, Palam 15.4 mm, Rajghat 14.6 mm, Lodi Road 13.2 mm and Safdarjung 11.9 mm.
Skymet’s Mahesh Palawat said the continuous rains over Delhi were caused by the interaction of a western disturbance over northern Pakistan, an intense low pressure area over central Madhya Pradesh and moisture-laden monsoon winds from the Arabian Sea.
He said the intensity of rain would gradually decrease over the next two days as temperatures rose slightly. Delhi is likely to experience only isolated spells of rain during this period.
Palawat said the seasonal trough is currently over central India and is expected to gradually move northwards around July 12 and settle along the foothills of the Himalayas after passing over Delhi.
“Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and adjoining northwestern areas are likely to experience a lull monsoon phase with comparatively dry weather thereafter,” he said.
According to IMD data, the wind chill increased from 44.7 degrees Celsius at 8.30 am to 47.5 degrees Celsius at 11.30 am, before dropping sharply to 32.3 degrees Celsius at 2.30 pm and 25.6 degrees Celsius at 5.30 pm following the storm activity.
Humidity levels stood at 79 per cent at 8.30am and fell to 60 per cent at 11.30am before rising to 100 per cent at 2.30pm. Humidity remained at 100 percent at 5:30 p.m. after widespread rain throughout the city.
The strongest winds, reaching 41 kmph, were recorded in Palam and Pusa, followed by 39 kmph in Jafarpur, 35 kmph in Pragati Maidan, 33 kmph in Mayur Vihar, 31 kmph in Narayana and Chhatarpur, and 19 kmph in Safdarjung.
The maximum temperature was set at 37.2 degrees Celsius in Safdarjung, 0.6 degrees above normal, while Palam recorded 37.6 degrees Celsius, 0.2 degrees above normal. Lodi Road recorded a high temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, two levels above normal. The Ridge recorded 36.1 degrees Celsius, 0.1 degrees below normal, while Ayanagar recorded 36.3 degrees Celsius, 0.3 degrees below normal.
The minimum temperature was set at 30 degrees Celsius in Safdarjung, 2.1 degrees above normal. Palam recorded 28.3 degrees Celsius, 0.1 degrees above normal, while Lodi Road recorded 30.4 degrees Celsius, 3.4 degrees above normal. The Ridge recorded a low of 24.9 degrees Celsius, 1.5 notches below normal, while Ayanagar recorded 28.6 degrees Celsius, 1.9 notches above normal.
The minimum temperature was the highest recorded in July since July 2, 2024, when the city had recorded a minimum of 30.7 degrees Celsius.
The IMD predicted thunderstorms accompanied by rain on Wednesday and issued an alert for the capital. The minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to settle around 26 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Despite widespread rainfall, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 113, according to CPCB.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “bad”, 301 and 400 “very poor” and 401 and 500 “severe”. PTI SGV ARB ARB
This report is automatically generated from PTI news service. ThePrint assumes no responsibility for its content.
