The national capital was lashed with heavy monsoon showers during late night and wee hours today. Earlier, many parts of the city received sharp showers, yesterday, for a brief period. Heavy overnight rains left severe waterlogging, choked underpasses and traffic snarls leaving commuters pained and distressed. The record observatory at Safdarjung measured heavy rainfall of 77.1mm in the last 24 hours. The meteorological office at Lodhi Road was still higher at 92.2 mm. The airport observatory at Palam was way behind with 55 mm of rainfall during this period. Moderate to heavy showers were observed in most parts of the city and NCR. Rains have ceased since forenoon hours and will have a break during the day.
Weather conditions will change over the next 2-3 days and monsoon showers will become rather scanty. The wind pattern is likely to change and the moist easterly winds will be replaced with the light westerly stream. These winds will be slightly low in humidity and therefore, a rise in the mercury level is expected. Day maximum temperature may cross 35°C and the minimum will hover around mid-20s.
The monsoon trough is the main trigger for weather activity over Delhi/NCR. Presently, the western end of the trough is placed far to the south of its normal position. Yet, the easterly stream remains dominant and has the potential to generate rainy patches, here and there. Short duration and passing showers are quite likely, today. The trough will literally get dislocated for the next 2-3 days. Accordingly, there will be minimal possibility of some stray showers tomorrow, which reduced further, a day later, on Saturday. Also, similar weather conditions will be observed on Sunday wherein, there is a distant chance of having fleeting and drifting rain in some areas. The situation is building up to have decent monsoon showers during next week.
Image Courtesy: The Economist