Delhi sees humid Fri as monsoon delays further; yellow alert for Sat
new delhi: With the monsoon delayed in the national capital, residents experienced a sunny and humid Friday under clear skies. Despite forecasts of rain and thunderstorms over the past week, the much-anticipated monsoon continues to elude Delhi.
The long-period average (LPA) date for the monsoon’s arrival in Delhi is June 27. Last year, the monsoon reached the city on June 28, a day later than the average. In previous years, the monsoon arrived on June 25 in 2023, June 30 in 2022, and as late as July 13 in 2021, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The weather department noted that the city experienced cloudy conditions for the past three to four days. However, only light to very light rainfall occurred in a few areas.
The IMD added that Delhi experienced persistent southeasterly winds during this period due to the presence of an east-west seasonal trough and a convergence line running to the south of the city, up to about 2 km above the surface level. As a result, there was consistent moisture incursion into the city, leading to low to medium cloud formation and scattered light rainfall.
However, the mid-and upper-level wind and circulation patterns were dominated by an anticyclonic circulation or ridge over the region, which has been inhibiting the advance of the monsoon towards Delhi.
The same pattern was observed over southwest Uttar Pradesh and adjoining parts of Haryana and Rajasthan, the IMD said.
This pattern, however, is expected to change over the next three to four days with the northward movement of the seasonal east-west trough and the weakening of the mid-and upper-level anticyclonic circulation and ridge over the region, the department added.
Typically, the southwest monsoon reaches Delhi around June 27-30.
Meanwhile, the national capital on Friday recorded a maximum temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius, 1.9 notches below the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The minimum temperature was 29 degrees Celsius, 1.1 notches above the season’s average, with the relative humidity was 72 per cent at 5.30 pm.
The IMD forecast predicted cloudy skies with moderate rain and thunderstorms with rain for Saturday and issued a yellow alert. Additionally, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 76, in the ‘satisfactory’ category, at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
