Explained: What Is Causing Unseasonal Rainfall In Delhi

Delhi received another spell of rain coupled with a thunderstorm today after witnessing a rain-drenched evening on Wednesday. The weather department has blamed the western disturbances for the unseasonal showers.

"There is enough moisture available in northwest India due to the western disturbance and the temperatures have also risen over the last few days. So, the conditions are conducive for such activity," Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, said.

The minimum temperature in the national capital on Thursday settled at 17.8 degrees Celsius, according to an India Meteorological Department bulletin. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 32 degrees Celsius.

Delhi recorded 12.2 mm rainfall in 24 hours on Saturday, which is the maximum precipitation in a day in March in three years.

Back-to-back western disturbances over northwest India led to rain and hail in several parts of the region, including the national capital, over the last week.

"Yesterday's rain was due to a western disturbance. In the coming two days, in north-west India, including the western Himalaya region, there is a possibility of rainfall, thunderstorm and hailstorm. The temperatures all over India is normal and no possibility of a heatwave as of now," Dr Naresh, IMD Scientist, told ANI.

A Western Disturbance, labelled as an extra-tropical storm originating in the Mediterranean, is an area of low pressure that brings sudden showers, snow and fog. They bring moderate to heavy rain in low-lying areas. Nearly 5 to 10 per cent of India's annual rainfall is thought to be a result of western disturbances.

While the rain has been delaying the heat wave by bringing down the temperature, it has also damaged the standing crop in the northern and central parts of India, including Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

Last week, the India Meteorological Department advised farmers of these states to postpone harvesting of wheat and other rabi crops.

In the case of matured crops, the IMD advised farmers to harvest crops such as mustard and chickpea in some states at the earliest and store them in safe places. Farmers have also been asked to withhold irrigation of wheat to avoid lodging.

Wheat is the main rabi (winter) crop and harvesting has already started in some parts of the country. The government has projected a record wheat output at 112.2 million tonne for the 2022-23 crop year (July-June).

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, however, said preliminary reports suggest there was not much impact on standing crops due to the current untimely rains and hailstorm.