A yellow alert has been issued for Delhi, with the weather department forecasting light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour. The alert comes as the national capital continues to experience fluctuating temperatures and increased humidity, ahead of the expected arrival of the southwest monsoon.
On Sunday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 36.2 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees below the seasonal average, while the minimum temperature settled at 28.4 degrees. Relative humidity stood at a high of 78 percent at 5.30 pm. The city received 0.1 mm of rainfall on Saturday, accompanied by light winds.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the maximum temperature in the capital will hover around 34 degrees Celsius on Monday, while the minimum is expected to be around 27 degrees Celsius.
Air quality in Delhi remained in the “satisfactory” category on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 98 at 4 pm, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board. An AQI between 51 and 100 is considered satisfactory, while anything below 50 is categorised as good.
The IMD also said that conditions are favourable for the advancement of the southwest monsoon over Delhi, Chandigarh and other parts of northwest India over the next two days, with its arrival expected by June 24. The monsoon has already progressed over most parts of Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Kashmir, and parts of Jammu and Punjab.
As per the latest IMD update, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to continue over parts of northwest India, including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and the Konkan and Goa regions between June 22 and 26. Extremely heavy rainfall is also likely over Gujarat on June 22 and eastern Madhya Pradesh on June 23 and 24.
The IMD has further reported that in the last 24 hours, extremely heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in eastern Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, while heavy to very heavy rainfall was recorded in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and coastal regions including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Thunderstorms accompanied by squally or gusty winds were also reported, with wind speeds reaching up to 120 kmph in parts of Marathwada and 60 kmph in regions including Madhya Maharashtra, Konkan, and Gangetic West Bengal.
(with inputs from agencies)