New Delhi:
The much-awaited monsoon is at Delhi's doorstep, with the weatherman on Sunday predicting that the rainy season will descend in two days over the city which has received good pre-monsoon showers in the past 24 hours.
However, the pre-monsoon rains did not give any respite to Delhiites from uncomfortable weather conditions due to higher humidity levels, though the maximum dipped to 33 degree Celsius. The humidity oscillated between 55 and 95 per cent during the day.
"The South-West monsoon has revived and conditions are favourable for it to cover the rest of the country by next 4 to 5 days. It is expected to hit Delhi by July 5 or 6," B P Yadav, Director, India Meteorological Department, told PTI.
The city had missed its usual June 29 date with the seasonal rains this year. Last year, the monsoon had reached the city on June 30.
The earliest onset of monsoon over Delhi during the past 30 years was on June 15, while the latest onset was on July 26.
Palam area recorded an overnight rainfall of 29.9 mm, followed by Ayanagar 21.5 mm, Lodhi road 16.4 mm, Safdarjung 15.9 mm and ridge area 1.8 mm between 5:30 pm yesterday and 8:30 am today.
Between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm today, the Safdarjung station recorded 1.4 mm rain.
The capital was in the grip of scorching heat for most parts of June, when it recorded a monthly rainfall deficit of 19 per cent.
The monsoon rains have been 16 per cent below normal for this season, mostly due to sluggish progress. The annual rains have not advanced since June 18 when they covered half of the country.