Rain, duststorm lash city, mercury dips by 14 degrees

 The air traffic was also disrupted due to adverse weather conditions when several flights were delayed and diverted. “The temperature plunged from 40.8 degrees Celsius at 2.30 pm to 27.4 degrees Celsius at 5.30 pm after the rain started in the city,” said a senior officer at Regional Meteorological Center, New Delhi. “It was 41.0 degrees Celsius at 5.30 pm on Sunday. There was a decrease of 13.6 degrees Celsius due to the rain,” he added. 

It was due to rain that the temperature further plunged to 23.6 degrees Celsius at 8.30 pm on Monday compared to 37.6 degrees Celsius at the same time on Sunday. The weathermen have recorded 5.8 mm of rain on Monday till 8.30 pm at the Palam observatory while it was 6.2 mm at Safdarjung observatory. “The city had received only 3.7 mm rainfall so far before Monday,” added the officer. 

The maximum temperature on Monday was recorded at 40.9 degrees Celsius which was one notch above normal while the minimum temperature was recorded at 30.5 degrees Celsius which was four points above normal. The Palam observatory recorded maximum temperature at 42.3 degrees Celsius, Gurgaon at 41 degrees Celsius and Aya Nagar at 41.4 degrees Celsius. The weathermen have predicted light rainfall with thundershowers on Tuesday evening. 

Following the duststorm and light rains in the evening peak traffic hours, long tailbacks were witnessed in several parts of the city. Constant showers in many areas had led to slow traffic movement while traffic snarls were reported in Southern Range due to water logging and breakdown of DTC buses. Areas where severe traffic snarls were reported includes the ITO junction in Central Delhi, Saket in South and Raja Garden, Uttam Nagar and Peeragarhi areas in the Western part, a traffic official said. The congestion in Saket area in particular was caused by major water logging at a stretch on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road. Commuters in Central Delhi had a harrowing time passing the ITO junction where traffic crawled at snail’s pace. Snarls were also reported in several areas as people took shelters under flyovers, Metro stations and footover bridges. Traffic jams were also witnessed at Nehru Place and Ashram Chowk in South-east Delhi for bus breakdowns around the same time, the official added.