Rain likely in Delhi for next 6 days, IMD issues yellow alert

NEW DELHI: The city on Tuesday experienced warm and humid weather, making outdoor activities uncomfortable for Delhiites even though both maximum and minimum temperatures recorded a slight dip.
The maximum temperature dipped below 40 degrees Celsius. Safdarjung, the city's base station, recorded maximum temperature of 39.7 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, against 40.4 degrees Celsius on Monday.However, the heat index was 52 degrees Celsius against 53 degrees Celsius a day earlier.
The minimum temperature was 28.6 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, against 31.4 degrees Celsius a day earlier.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, the maximum temperatures will remain below 40 degrees Celsius for the rest of the week, dipping to 36 degrees Celsius by June 30 as the rain intensity is likely to increase. The minimum temperature too may drop to 23 degrees Celsius by June 30 providing much needed relief to the residents.
IMD has issued a yellow alert for the city, forecasting rain across parts of Delhi for the next six days, but did not share a date on when the southwest monsoon is likely to hit the capital, even as it said the monsoon is likely to cover several parts of northwest India over the next three to four days.
"Conditions are currently favourable for the southwest monsoon to advance further to the remaining parts of the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh; some more parts of Rajasthan; remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar; most parts of east Uttar Pradesh; some more parts of west Uttar Pradesh; some parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, northern parts of Punjab and Haryana during next three to four days," an IMD bulletin said.
The humidity oscillated between 48 and 92%, causing excessive sweating. High humidity makes it difficult for the body to cool easily, thus the sweating increases.
"The city may see light to very light rain for next six days. The intensity of rain is expected to rise from June 28, under impact of an incumbent western disturbance and the advancing of southwest monsoon towards northwest India," said an IMD official.
In 2023, the monsoon had arrived in the national capital on June 25.