New Delhi, Aug 18 — Delhi-NCR residents continued to wait for a spell of heavy monsoon rain as humid conditions persisted across the national Capital over the past few days. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the region is likely to witness generally cloudy skies on Tuesday, with little possibility of significant rainfall.
The weather office has forecast light to moderate rain in parts of Delhi between the morning and afternoon on August 19 and 20. However, the possibility of heavy rainfall in the national Capital remains low during the week.
Residents were disappointed by the lack of significant rainfall on Monday. The minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 27.8 degrees Celsius, which was 1.3 degrees above normal. The maximum temperature settled around 35.8 degrees Celsius, remaining 2 degrees above the seasonal average.
The high humidity levels added to the discomfort. During the past 24 hours, the relative humidity ranged between 58 per cent and 84 per cent, making the weather feel hot and muggy. The IMD said there was no significant change in either the minimum or maximum temperature during this period.
For Tuesday, the IMD has forecast generally cloudy conditions with very little chance of rain. The minimum temperature is expected to remain between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature is likely to range from 32 to 34 degrees Celsius. Northwest winds are expected to blow at speeds of 10-15 kmph throughout the day.
Very light to light rainfall is likely in isolated parts of the city from the morning through the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the IMD has issued alerts for heavy rainfall across several states and Union Territories. The forecast indicates the possibility of heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by strong winds in various regions. Wind speeds could reach up to 65 kmph in some areas, while thunderstorms and lightning are also possible.
The weather department has warned of heavy rainfall in several parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir-Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Landslide-related alerts have also been issued for some hilly regions due to the possibility of intense rainfall. Authorities have advised residents in vulnerable areas to remain cautious as adverse weather conditions could affect normal activities.
Despite the humid conditions, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'moderate' category. The highest Air Quality Index (AQI) among the listed monitoring stations was recorded at Wazirpur at 186, followed by CRRI Mathura Road at 111, Rohini at 119, Chandni Chowk at 117 and Anand Vihar at 141.
Other monitoring stations recorded AQI levels of 77 at Burari Crossing, 95 at North Campus, Delhi University, 69 at Pusa, 81 at ITO, 82 at DTU, 81 at Mandir Marg, 96 at R.K. Puram, 97 at Ashok Vihar, 106 at Dwarka Sector 8, 90 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 100 at Nehru Nagar, 93 at Sonia Vihar, 94 at Vivek Vihar, 123 at IIT Delhi, 68 at JNU, 76 at the Commonwealth Sports Complex and 74 in the Cantonment area.