Abnormally long dry weather spell over Delhi is likely to extend further, with hardly any hope of rain during this week. The months of October and November have remained totally dry and also warmer than normal by a good margin. The first three days of December have registered a minimum temperature of over 10°C. The base observatory at Safdarjung recorded a low of 10.5°C, above normal by 1°C. Within about two hours, between 0800hr and 1030hr, the temperature shot up from 12°C to 22°C, a sharp rise. It means there is no sustained chill factor in the air and the wind pattern also is light and variable to start with. The layer of pollution may also have thinned down to allow radiational warming. The day temperature may cross 27°C today as well, like the past two consecutive days.
December is not a rainy month for Delhi. The rains pick up towards the end of December. Prior to that, there are small and temporary incursions of cloudy weather and light sprinkles, occasionally. This season, even that activity is missing. There is no likelihood of any measurable rainfall during this week, as well. A mild western disturbance will move across the mountains, as an upper air trough, between 07th and 08th Dec. A dry circulation is coming up in the lower levels over parts of Northeast Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi region. This feature is not getting any support in terms of incursion of moist winds. Therefore, it may remain dormant and could give fragmented clouds, temporarily.
As per the pentad normal records, December starts with a minimum of about 10°C and plummets to 7°C during the fag end of the month. The normal monthly rainfall remains in single digits (8.1mm). However, the temperatures during the first half of December are unlikely to drop sharply. No dense fog is expected during this week and the ground inversion will remain in abeyance. Weather conditions do not seem to augur well for the opening phase of Rabi crops over North and northwest India and Delhi.
Image Courtesy: The United Indian