Monsoon Showers Return to Delhi After Dry Spell; IMD Issues Yellow Alert as Temperatures Drop

Overnight and early morning monsoon rain swept through Delhi on Monday and Tuesday, ending a nearly week-long dry spell. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasting light to moderate rain, thunderstorms and strong winds.

On Monday, the capital's maximum temperature settled at 31.6 degrees Celsius. This marked a drop of 6.7 degrees below Sunday's maximum of 38.8 degrees Celsius, bringing immediate relief from the heat. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature in the capital remained below normal at all five principal weather stations.

The recent rainfall also helped enhance air quality across the city. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 83 at 11.05 am on Tuesday, placing it in the "satisfactory" category, as classified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). An AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as "good", 51-100 as "satisfactory", 101-200 as "moderate", 201-300 as "poor", 301-400 as "very poor" and 401-500 as "severe", the CPCB stated.

Rainfall Distribution and Forecast

During the 24-hour window concluding at 8.30 am on Tuesday, Naraina recorded the highest rainfall at 22 mm. Other areas received varying amounts, including Pusa (20 mm), Chhattarpur (19 mm), the Ridge (18.6 mm), Ayanagar (17.4 mm), Palam (15 mm), Janakpuri (14 mm) and Lodhi Road (12.2 mm). Safdarjung recorded 10.6 mm, Jafarpur received 9.5 mm and both Mayur Vihar and Najafgarh recorded 4.5 mm.

Rainfall up to 15.5 mm is classified as light, 15.6 mm to 64.4 mm as moderate, 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm as heavy and 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm as very heavy, the IMD stated.

The weather forecast predicts light to moderate rain on Thursday and very light to light rain on Friday. The weather office expects dry conditions from Saturday to Monday.

The weather office expects maximum temperatures to remain between 29 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Temperatures will gradually rise to reach 33 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius by Sunday.

Regional Monsoon Impact

Authorities in Himachal Pradesh ordered educational institutions shut in Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur on Tuesday following a red alert. The IMD in Shimla issued a red alert for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Sirmaur, alongside an orange alert for Una, Hamirpur and Shimla.

The number of deaths in rain-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir has climbed to 23. This includes 11 recent deaths, involving a mother and her two children, caused by landslides and flash floods, officials said, as reported by PTI. The IMD issued red alert nowcast warnings for Reasi, Rajouri and Udhampur districts.

Active monsoon conditions are expected over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, peaking on Wednesday. Subdued rainfall activity will continue over westcentral and south Peninsular India for over a week.

"Heavy to very heavy rainfall, exceeding 12 cm, is also likely at isolated places over the northern and eastern parts of Punjab and Haryana during this period," the IMD weather office stated.

The weather office has forecast extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning for Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh and Rohtas and Kaimur districts in Bihar.