People wait for the rain to let up near Delhi Gate bus stand, Wednesday. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra) Delhi recorded the highest ever rainfall in the month of May on Thursday as the impact of cyclonic storm ‘Tauktae’ and a western disturbance hit the city.
The day temperature was also the lowest in 70 years, as the maximum temperature dipped to 23.8 degrees Celsius, 16 degrees below normal.
Previously, the lowest maximum temperature was recorded on May 13, 1982 at 24.8 degrees Celsius. “This is the lowest temperature recorded in the city since 1951,†said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional forecasting centre.
The minimum was recorded as 21.4 degrees Celsius, 5 degrees below normal.
By 8.30 pm, the city had received 60 mm rainfall, which equalled the previous record of May 24, 1976.
The other parts of the city also saw heavy rainfall. The Palam station recorded 36.8 mm of rainfall, followed by 57 mm at Najafgarh.
Officials said the interaction between the cyclonic winds and an active western disturbance led to the heavy rains in Delhi.
The IMD had earlier issued an orange alert for Delhi, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of the capital, with gusty winds of up to 60 km per hour.
Temperatures, however, are expected to go up on Thursday. The maximum temperature is expected to be 30 degrees Celsius, while the minimum is expected to be 20 degrees Celsius.
Light rain and thundershowers are also expected on Thursday.
“Only scattered rainfall is likely on Thursday. The rainfall activity is likely to decrease tomorrow onwards,†IMD officials said.
With the downpour, the air quality in Delhi also improved from moderate to poor to satisfactory on Wednesday and Thursday.
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