Delhi faces high humidity and sparse rain on Saturday despite yellow alert
On Saturday, Delhi witnessed sparse rainfall and high humidity despite a "yellow" weather alert issued by the India Meteorological Department. While localities like Janakpuri, Pusa, Mayur Vihar, and Pitampura recorded minor traces of rain, Safdarjung, the city's chief weather observatory, saw no rainfall at all, leaving residents to contend with sultry conditions.
The humidity levels fluctuated between 70% and 85%, significantly elevating the "real-feel" temperature. At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Heat Index reached 45.4°C, even though the actual maximum temperature was recorded at 35.4°C, which is two notches below the seasonal normal. The minimum temperature settled at 29.0°C, which is 1.1 degrees above normal.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded up to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Pusa received the highest rainfall at 23.5 mm. Janakpuri followed with 9.5 mm, the Ridge area recorded 3.8 mm, Mayur Vihar saw 1 mm, and Pitampura registered just 0.5 mm of rain.
This sparse rainfall follows an exceptionally dry month for the capital. From June 1 to June 30, Delhi experienced a 55.6% rainfall deficit, recording a total of only 32.91 mm of rainfall against the IMD's normal average of 74.1 mm for the month.
Mahesh Pehlawat, vice president of the private weather forecaster Skymet Weather, explained that weather systems in other regions have weakened Delhi's monsoon. Pehlawat noted that cyclonic circulations over Madhya Pradesh and a low-pressure area over Odisha dragged the monsoon trough to central India, reducing rainfall in the capital.
Pehlawat stated that the city is likely to see typical monsoon rains starting from July 5. In the interim, the IMD has forecast very light to light rain accompanied by thunderstorms on Sunday, multiple spells of rain on Monday, and light rain on Tuesday.
