At last! Rain gods smile

NEW DELHI: The prolonged wait finally ended after parts of Delhi and its nearby areas received rain on Thursday with monsoon likely to make an onset in the city anytime now, officials said. The much-awaited rains brought down temperatures in Delhi bringing respite from the scorching heat. In its city forecast, IMD said Delhi will be generally cloudy with light rain till July 8. The weather department has forecast heavy rainfall from July 9. The Met Department said the south west monsoon has further advanced into the whole of Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Heaving a sigh of relief, people took to social media to express their happiness over the showers.

Parts of Delhi witnessed scattered drizzles on Thursday with Aya Nagar recording 10.1 mm of precipitation, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Subsequently, the mercury fell to 29 degrees Celsius on Thursday afternoon. However, the maximum temperature touched 38.4 degrees. On Friday, the mercury is expected to hover between 27-35 degrees Celsius. IMD chief KJ Ramesh told: "We expect monsoon to come to Delhi in the next two-three days, around Sunday."

As per the latest data, monsoon winds have progressed till Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh. According to private forecaster Skymet, the monsoon can reach Delhi on Saturday as well. "There are always rains for two-three days before monsoon hits. Areas around Delhi such as Faridabad, and Gurugram have received good rainfall on Thursday. The monsoon can reach Delhi on Saturday," said Mahesh Palawat, Director at Skymet. A thunderstorm is also expected in Haryana and Punjab in the next two days.

As the skies turned grey across Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida regions, Delhi

residents couldn't contain their glee and erupted on social media to share videos and images of the brief spells of rain and dark clouds. Delhi and adjoining areas in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh is expected to receive more rainfall in the coming hours along with thunderstorm. Delhi weather will remain pleasant for a few more days till July 8-9 with a cloud cover and intermittent light showers.