The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for rain and thunderstorms in Delhi. The alert, issued at 3:20pm on Saturday remains in place till 6:24pm according to the weather panel. During this time, thunderstorm with lightning and strong winds of 40-50 km per hour are expected.Thunderstorm with lightning and strong winds of 40-50 km per hour are expected. (PTI)The Central, East, New Delhi, North, Northeast, Northwest, Shahdara, South, Southeast, Southwest, and Western districts of Delhi are expected to witness rain.The weather panel also forecast rain during its morning alert, but even so, Delhi saw a slight increase in the minimum temperature. "Partly cloudy skies are expected to persist on Saturday. A spell of very light to light rain is expected from afternoon to evening, along with thunderstorm and strong gusty winds of speed 40-50 kmph," an IMD official had said.Safdarjung, representative of the city's weather, recorded a minimum temperature of 28.7 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degree higher than a day before. The minimum at Safdarjung was also 0.7 degree above the normal, news agency PTI reported.Also Read: Heavy rain expected in over 10 Tamil Nadu districts as southwest monsoon intensifiesSimilar predictions were made on Friday night as well, when the IMD issued a yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms.Monsoon delay makes Delhi waitWhile there have been some days of pleasant weather and rainy days in Delhi, the national capital is yet to witness a significant downpour.Meanwhile, monsoon are running late in several parts of India, including Maharashtra and Goa, as El Niño weather phenomenon takes hold. Despite marking a footfall in Kerala earlier this month, Monsoon is yet to sweep many areas.Also Read: Indian monsoon has a bumpy start: What's causing the delay in rains?The weather panel's region-wise departure rainfall map shows that rainfall deficits in central India, east and northeast India, the southern peninsula, and northwest India stand at 67 pc, 42 pc, 22 pc, and 6 pc, respectively.