Mercury dips as rains lash Delhi

Heavy showers in the morning pulled mercury significantly down in the national capital for the second day in a row on Monday but also caused water-logging and subsequent traffic chaos in city.

New Delhi: Heavy showers in the morning pulled mercury significantly down in the national capital for the second day in a row on Monday but also caused water-logging and subsequent traffic chaos in various parts of the city. According to the MeT department, Delhi received 17.1 mm rains from 8:30 in the morning to 5:30 in the evening. Earlier, during the last 24 hours ending at 8:30 in the morning, rain gauges measured 58.5 mm rainfall.

The city had received 36.6 mm of rains till 5:30 PM yesterday which were the first monsoon showers of the season. The day temperature in the national temperature dropped sharply today settling at maximum 30.3 deg C, which was nine points below normal, while the minimum temperature too remained five notches below normal at 23.5 deg c. The maximum and minimum temperatures yesterday were 31.5 degrees Celsius and 23.7 degrees Celsius respectively. Showers in the morning gave much relief to Delhiites from the scorching heat but also caused trouble as many areas, including Laxmi Nagar, ITO and Kashmere Gate, Munirka, Dwarka and Dhaula Kuan, witnessed water-logging and traffic snarls. Humidity too remained towards the higher side with maximum being recorded at 98 per cent, while the minimum settling at 77 per cent. Indira Gandhi International Airport also bore the brunt of a heavy downpour as services were crippled at the airport. Palam area received 123.4 mm rains during the last 24 hours ending at 8:30 in the morning. The Met office has forecast more rains in some parts of the city and generally cloudy sky for tomorrow, while maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to remain at 31 and 24 deg C respectively. PTI