Monsoon may hit Capital by Friday

“Monsoon rains are expected to hit the city on July 1,” said a senior officer at Regional Meteorological Centre, Delhi. The weather in the city has been warm and humid for the last week of June; weathermen have predicted normal rain throughout the month in July. So far, Delhi has recorded 16.7 mm of rain against its monthly average of 82.2 mm but this rain was due to disturbances from the Himalayan region. 

The highest temperature on Monday was 39.6 degree Celsius, which was two notches above normal, while the lowest recorded temperature was 30 degree Celsius which was also two points above normal. “The temperature in areas like Palam and Najafgarh was above 40 degree Celsius,” he added. 

According to weather forecasts, the maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 30 and 29 degree Celsius respectively. The maximum humidity on Monday was 79 per cent while minimum was 49 per cent.

“There are chances of light rains with thundershowers on June 29 and June,” said the officer adding that these are not due to monsoon. 

While the city is waiting for the rain to come, the civic authorities are preparing for a harrowing time during the season. Several areas of the city are dug up due to construction work on the Delhi Metro, which could result in traffic jams across the city. 

Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia summoned the District Magistrates on Friday and directed them to prepare a plan to handle any potential floods in the city. MCDs have also launched their helpline to receive complaints of water logging and building collapse to address the grievances of the people.

 The south-west Monsoon will get aggressive in Himachal Pradesh with the weather bureau predicting heavy rainfall in the state this week.