Weather update: IMD issues yellow alert for Delhi, highest number of rainy days in August

Delhi is all set to get the highest number of rainy days in a month and the record will be set in August 2024 with the highest record of rainy days being in 2012. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Delhi has received 22 days of rain up to August 25 and more rain is expected in the coming days of the month. This August has been characterized by a rather long and continuous period of rainy weather, during which the city has had the longest consecutive period of rainy days as far as the available records are concerned and these are records dated from 2011.

Delhi had 18 straight days of rain beginning August 4 to August 22; the following day, August 23 was the only dry day. The IMD has also put out a yellow weather warning for Tuesday with the possibility of light to moderate rains. The monsoon trough is currently south of Delhi NCR and it is likely to shift close to Delhi NCR again and cause isolated to scattered light rains till the end of the month.

A low-pressure area is expected to develop over the central part of India especially Madhya Pradesh and east Rajasthan and it is expected to deepen and move west-south westwards, thus more rains could be expected in Delhi by August 27 and 28. The previous record for the most number of rainy days in August was in the year 2012 when 22 days of rain was recorded. This year’s count is expected to surpass this and hence August 2024 will be the month that has the maximum number of rainy days in the given period which starts from 2011 as per the IMD data available.

Delhi has received 278. 4 mm of rain till August 25, the highest in a single August month since 2013, when 321. 4 mm of rain was received. The monsoon rains recorded up to this period are 717 mm which is the highest in this year 2021. Though there has been increased rainfall in Delhi, the air quality of the capital city has remained quite good for 27 days now as compared to the past years.

Rain has continued for several days and as a result, there is flooding and traffic jams in some areas of the city. However, due to the rain, it has not been very hot, the maximum temperature on August 25 was 35. 6°C which is only one degree above normal, while the minimum temperature was 25. 4°C which is a degree below normal. The RH has ranged from 63% to 95% leading to a heat index of 40°C and a wet bulb temperature of 28. 5°C. Mahesh Palawat, Vice President at Skymet Meteorology, said that the presence of a monsoon trough line over Delhi-NCR has been the reason for regular rainfall.

Palawat also pointed out that it is still monsoon season, and apart from the decent rainfall expected on August 27 and even August 28, the rest of this month would be rather unpredictable with only occasional showers. Delhi is now gearing up for more showers in the coming days, hence people are likely to face some inconvenience and waterlogging. The IMD’s yellow alert is a timely reminder of the current weather and makes the public aware of the situation and prepare for it. The monsoon season this year is quite memorable, especially with August 2024 expected to be the wettest month of the year.