Delhi records its wettest August 1st week in 16yrs; yellow alert for today

NEW DELHI: Friday was the season’s wettest day in many parts of Delhi, and the fourth straight rainy day, testing the capital’s infrastructure to the maximum.There was familiar traffic chaos as many arterial stretches were flooded, particularly in south and central Delhi, while nine cases of house and wall collapse were reported in addition to at least 16 fallen trees across the city.Safdarjung, the city’s main weather station, got 127mm of rain in seven days, making it the wettest first week of Aug in at least 16 years. It recorded 77.1mm more in 12 hours till 8.30pm Friday. More rain is likely on Saturday, IMD said.There was severe traffic congestion in Gurgaon, leaving commuters stranded on the expressway and other major roads. Commuters also reported being stuck on DND Flyway for two hours. MB Road came under two feet of water while Okhla underpass, too, was inundated.Along with bringing relief, the incessant rain also caused traffic snarls and waterlogging, and uprooted trees.Delhi has received 127mm of rainfall in the first seven days of Aug, making it the wettest first week of the month in at least 16 years, shows India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data. A yellow alert is in place for Saturday for light-to-moderate showers. The intensity is likely to reduce from Sunday.As the rain poured through the day, the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures came down to just 1.9 degrees. The maximum temperature was 27.5 degrees Celsius, seven degrees below normal, against Thursday’s 27.6. The minimum temperature was 25.6 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal and the same as the previous day.IMD’s data shows that heavy rainfall was seen mostly at stations in south and southwest Delhi. From 8.30am to 8pm, Pushp Vihar received the maximum rainfall at 147.5mm, followed by Chhatarpur at 131mm. Among the other stations that saw heavy rainfall are Aya Nagar at 87.4mm, Palam at 88.7mm, Jharoda Kalan at 69.5mm, Janakpuri at 72mm and Pusa at 67.5mm.The Met department classifies rainfall as light when it is up to 15.5mm; as moderate, when it ranges from 15.6mm to 64.4mm, and as heavy, when it’s between 64.5 and 115.5mm in a 24-hour period.Most areas saw moderate showers, with base station Safdarjung recording 77.1mm, Ridge in north Delhi 49.6mm and Lodhi Road 49.3mm between 8.30am and 5.30pm.This Aug so far, Safdarjung has received 127mm of rainfall as opposed to the entire month’s normal of 233.1 mm. The city witnessed two heavy rainfall days in July. Though Delhi saw a rain deficit of 44% in June, July ended with a rain surplus of 23%.The maximum temperature, which has now remained below 30 degrees Celsius for two days, is likely to remain between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius Saturday. “It is likely to be 33-35 degrees Celsius from Sunday. The minimum temperature is predicted to settle between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius over the next few days,” said a Met official.Though there are chances of light-to-moderate rain Saturday, the city is likely to receive light-to-very light rain from Sunday to next Thursday.The rain helped in keeping Delhi’s air quality index on the lower side by washing out pollutants. At 63, AQI remained satisfactory for the eighth consecutive day. It was 74 Thursday.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in DelhiStay updated with the latest Delhi news. Download the TOI App.