Capital will have to wait till Jul for 1st monsoonal rains

New Delhi: Delhi will have to wait till July for the first monsoonal rains as the wind system is unlikely to cover the region in the next

seven days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday, even as the Capital saw a brief spell of dust storms and gusty winds in the evening.

Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8.

Last year, the wind system had reached Delhi on June 25 and covered the entire country by June 29, according to Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency.

And in preparation for the monsoon months and to avoid loss of life due to vehicles being trapped in waterlogged underpasses, the Public Works Department on Tuesday said that traffic may be stopped if underpasses record water levels above 20 centimetres.

The order issued on Tuesday by an engineer in chief of PWD also directed all the executive staff to pay special attention to the drainage of rainwater from all vulnerable locations, particularly underpasses during the rainy season.

Meanwhile, a dust storm hit Delhi on Thursday afternoon, bringing the maximum temperature down to 38.2 degrees Celsius, one notch below the normal, the Indian Meteorological Department said.

The minimum temperature in the morning was recorded at 28.3 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, it said.

The relative humidity at 5.30 pm was recorded at 45 per cent, it said.

The weatherman has predicted thunderstorm accompanied by rain for Friday, with the minimum and maximum temperatures expected to hover around 28 and 38 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Delhi's air quality was in the 'moderate' category on Thursday evening. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed that the hourly air quality index (AQI) at 7.05 pm stood at 140.