Rain brings respite to Delhi; monsoon likely by Friday

New Delhi: Rain lowered the mercury here on Thursday as the national capital recorded a maximum of 31.4 degrees Celsius, five notches below the season's average, the Met Office said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said monsoon would be declared in Delhi in the next 24 hours.

"There are some criteria and it's most likely that monsoon would be declared here in the next 24 hours," an IMD official said.

The minimum temperature on Thursday was recorded at 24.2 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average.

Delhi recorded 52.6 mm of rainfall since Wednesday. While Palam recorded 28.1 mm, Ridge area recorded 35.8 mm and Aya Nagar recorded 26.9 mm rainfall. 

The Met Office has predicted rain on Thursday night and early Friday morning.

"Friday would be generally cloudy sky with moderate rain," an IMD official said.

The humidity on Thursday oscillated between 68-100 per cent.

The maximum temperature on Friday is likely to hover around 32 degrees Celsius and the minimum around 25 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature on Wednesday settled at 35 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average and the minimum was recorded at 28 degrees Celsius, normal for the season.