NEW DELHI: Rain lashed parts of Delhi-NCR region in the morning on Wednesday bringing the much-needed relief to those who were reeling under sweltering heat. The rain hit the Delhi-NCR region around 8 am and there are reports that other parts of North India too witnessed heavy rainfall.
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for rainfall and thunderstorm. Rain with thunderstorm was witnessed in parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Wednesday, the weather office said, adding that the weather condition was likely to continue till Friday.
The temperature dipped in Delhi on Wednesday after an intense spell of rain lashed the city in the morning, bringing the mercury level down by several notches. The maximum temperature was recorded at 35.7 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature was 22.3 degrees Celsius. A total of 1.4 mm rainfall was recorded till the evening.
Thursday will be partly cloudy with chances of light rains, said an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official.
According to Skymet, the pre-monsoon rains are because of three phenomenon — Western Disturbance, induced cyclonic circulation and the South Westerly winds. "The rains on Wednesday were because of the back to back Western Disturbance. The Western Disturbance creates cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan. Also, the South Western winds from the Arabian Sea are increasing the moisture," said, Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Meteorology and Climate Change at the Skymet Weather.
The condition, he said, will continue on and off till Friday at least.
The rain will also decrease the heat wave and keep the temperature in control in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Mahesh Palawat said.
The humidity at 8.30 a.m. was recorded at 82 per cent. Other states that were affected by the weather were Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. There are also chances of the formation of cyclonic circulation over West Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Sikkim as per the IMD. The formation of a cyclonic circulation could lead to heavy rainfall in the regions. The air quality in the national capital improved significantly after this morning's downpour, authorities said.
The level of PM2.5 (particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 64 and PM10 at 156, the SAFAR said. Delhi's air quality was oscillating between 'very poor' and 'severe' for the last few days due to a dust storm in northwest India, which led to a sharp increase in the PM2.5 level.
Meanwhile, monsoon showers are expected to hit Kerala coast on June 4 and deliver less rainfall than average in 2019, the country's only private weather forecasting agency said on Tuesday, dampening prospects of higher farm and economic growth in the $2.6 trillion economies.