We are half way through the month of July and rain figures in Delhi are way below the normal average. As a result the rain deficit remains high and discomfort is tremendous. All hopes are now pinned on the next three days which is likely to bring some good amounts of rain in Delhi. Though meteorologists at Skymet Meteorology Division in India feel that even if the capital does receive heavy showers during the next 72 hours, July could end up being one of the driest, just like June.
The normal average rainfall in Delhi in July is 214 mm and till now there has been only 37 mm of rain, with one good spell of 26 mm on Sunday, 13th July. The driest July in Delhi in the last ten years was in 2004 when the city received a paltry 13.8 mm of rain during the month. In El Nino year 2012, July observed only 94.8 mm of rain against the average of 214 mm. The number of rainy days in Delhi have also been just three so far as compared to fifteen rainy days in July.
Before the rain experienced on Sunday, Delhi was observing heat wave condition as maximums were settling seven to eight degrees above normal. In the absence of rain Delhi recorded 43.2⁰C as the maximum temperature on 12th July, the second hottest day of the month in last ten years.
“The low pressure which developed in the Bay of Bengal, moved inland and brought good rain to Central India. This system is now moving further inland into North India and could therefore bring good rain to Delhi & NCR from the 16th to 18th July”, explained AVM (Retd) G.P Sharma.
According to the latest weather update, the maximum temperature in Delhi has already dropped (36.6⁰C recorded on Monday) from forties to settle in the mid-thirties. It could drop further, by about three to four degrees due to chances of rain. Nights however, will still be uncomfortable due to high humidity. The minimum temperature has continuously been settling around 30⁰C during the last few days. The weather in Delhi has been highly uncomfortable and sticky so far with the highest humidity of 88% (morning) and lowest of 62% (afternoon) recorded on Monday.
