Delhi witnessed its coldest August day in at least 14 years on Saturday, with the maximum temperature dipping 26.4 degrees Celsius, which is 7.8 degrees below normal. This came after relentless rainfall lashed several parts of the national capital on Saturday. The persistent downpour began around midnight on Friday and continued throughout Saturday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the previous lowest August maximum was 27.9 degrees Celsius in 2012, whereas the 2020 figure is not available in the IMD records.
Delhi records 78.7 mm of rainfall
The Safdarjung observatory, the city's main weather station, measured 78.7 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am Saturday. Other stations recorded heavy showers as well —logged 100 mm, Lodhi Road 80 mm, Pusa 69 mm, and Palam 31.8 mm.
Additionally, under overcast skies and intermittent rain, the capital recorded a maximum temperature of 26.4 degrees Celsius, 7.8 notches below normal, while the minimum temperature was 23.8 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches below average.
According to IMD data, this reading ranks among the 10 lowest August maximum temperatures at Safdarjung since 1969. The weather department has forecast cloudy skies and rain for Sunday.
IMD predicts rain for Sunday
The unusually cool day came after incessant Raksha Bandhan showers, starting Friday night, brought Delhi to a grinding halt. Entire residential colonies resembled swimming pools, while flooded roads, uprooted trees, and potholes severely disrupted movement across the capital.
Waterlogging and heavy traffic snarls were reported from several areas, including Ring Road, Anand Parbat, New Rohtak Road, Zakhira Railway Underpass, GTK Depot, Jahangirpuri, Adarsh Nagar, Panchkuian Marg, Mathura Road, Shastri Bhawan, RK Puram, Moti Bagh, and Kidwai Nagar. Key stretches such as Pragati Maidan Tunnel, Dhaula Kuan, ITO, MB Road near Sainik Farm, Sarai Kale Khan, Defence Colony Underpass, Azadpur Market, Peeragarhi Chowk, Pul Prahladpur, and the vicinity of New Delhi Railway Station also faced severe congestion.
The heavy rainfall had also hit flight operations in Delhi, with data from Flightradar showing that 200 flight operations were affected on Saturday morning. On Friday night, the Delhi airport issued an advisory for passengers, saying its "on-ground teams are working diligently with all stakeholders to ensure your journey remains hassle-free".
The Public Works Department said it received around 30 waterlogging complaints and deployed quick-response teams equipped with pumps to drain flooded areas. One underpass connected to the Pragati Maidan transit corridor remained closed for two hours in the morning due to flooding near Mathura Road, but reopened after the water was pumped out.
The weather department has forecast cloudy skies and rain for Sunday.
(With PTI inputs)
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