Amid humid weather conditions in Delhi, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast lightning towards evening on Friday for the national capital. The weather body has also forecast a generally cloudy sky for Saturday. Light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms has also been forecast by the weather body.
On Saturday, IMD has also forecast thunderstorms with lightning towards evening or night. The maximum temperature forecast by the weather body has been forecast to be 35 to 37 degrees Celsius, whereas the minimum temperature is likely to settle around 26 to 28 degrees Celsius.
For Sunday, the IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky and light to moderate rain with thunderstorms.
Despite the forecasts of rain and thunderstorms over the past week, the much-anticipated monsoon continues to elude Delhi. The long-period average (LPA) date for the monsoon's arrival in Delhi is June 27. Last year, the monsoon reached the city on June 28, a day later than the average.
In previous years, the monsoon arrived on June 25 in 2023, June 30 in 2022, and as late as July 13 in 2021, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The weather department noted that the city experienced cloudy conditions for the past three to four days. However, only light to very light rainfall occurred in a few areas.
The IMD added that Delhi experienced persistent southeasterly winds during this period due to the presence of an east-west seasonal trough and a convergence line running to the south of the city, up to about 2 km above the surface level. As a result, there was consistent moisture incursion into the city, leading to low- to medium-cloud formation and scattered light rainfall. However, the mid- and upper-level wind and circulation patterns were dominated by an anticyclonic circulation or ridge over the region, which has been inhibiting the advance of the monsoon towards Delhi.
(With inputs from PTI.)