Delhi rains: At 269.9 mm, national capital witnesses highest August rainfall in a decade

Delhi rains: Delhi witnessed unprecedented rain in August this year with 269.9 mm of rainfall so far. This marked the highest rainfall in the last decade, as per data from India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Delhi recorded the highest rainfall recorded since August 2013, as per the weather department. It stated that the number of rainy days has also exceeded expectations. 

The mean number of rainy days which are defined as days with more than 2.4mm of rainfall is typically 10.2 days in August, which has extended to 11 rainy days till August 22. This is an indication of the unusual rainfall activity in the city. 

In 2013, rainfall in August had reached 321 mm, and the year before that it had touched 378 mm the same month. Meanwhile, it is 1961 that holds the record of all-time high rainfall in August at 583.3 mm. 

DELHI WEATHER

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 26.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, with the weather office forecasting rain and thunderstorms during the day. The humidity level was recorded at 85 per cent. 

The India Meteorological Department had placed the city in the green zone, indicating no action was needed, on Thursday. However, on Friday, the alert was upgraded to yellow. A yellow alert denotes bad weather and the possibility of worsening conditions that could disrupt daily life, according to the IMD's colour-coded warnings. 

The maximum temperature is expected to be recorded at 35 degrees Celsius. The air quality was in the satisfactory category with an improved reading of 75. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.

RAINFALL FORECAST

Meanwhile, the IMD also predicted rainfall in Delhi over the next seven days. Apart from Delhi, Uttarakhand, East Rajasthan, Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, and West Rajasthan are expected to witness varying levels of rainfall from light to moderate.