New Delhi: A day after the southwest monsoon officially arrived, the city experienced patchy rainfall ranging from very light to moderate intensity, bringing further relief from the heat. Thick, dark monsoon clouds blanketed Delhi and its surrounding areas throughout Monday, contributing to a noticeable dip in daytime temperatures.While the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted moderate rain for the day, it did not issue any colour-coded weather warnings for the remainder of the week. However, light rain is still expected to persist in the coming days.“Delhi is currently under the influence of the monsoon trough, which is nearby. Light to moderate rain is likely across the Delhi-NCR region for the next two days. The trough will gradually shift south of Delhi from July 2, leading to isolated light rainfall,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Climate Change and Meteorology at Skymet.According to IMD, rainfall distribution on Monday was uneven. Palam recorded 14.4 mm of rain, Ayanagar 20 mm, Najafgarh 4 mm, Rajghat 0.2 mm, and the Ridge area 1 mm. The base station at Safdarjung, however, reported no rainfall on Monday, although it had recorded 14 mm a day earlier during the onset of the monsoon.Temperature levels also continued to decline. Mayur Vihar in east Delhi was the coolest part of the city, with a maximum temperature of 27.9 degrees Celsius, followed by Rajghat at 29 degrees Celsius. At Safdarjung, the maximum temperature was 30.6 degrees Celsius — seven degrees below the seasonal normal and down from 32.8 degrees Celsius the previous day. The minimum temperature settled at 24 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal. Humidity levels ranged from 85% to 100%, while easterly and north-easterly winds blew at speeds of up to 6 km/h.The maximum temperature on Tuesday is expected to hover between 31 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius.Meanwhile, air quality saw further improvement. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 65, down from 83 the previous day—both within the ‘satisfactory’ category on the 0–500 scale.The southwest monsoon’s arrival in Delhi was slightly delayed this year, as the IMD had earlier forecast it for June 24.
