New Delhi: Marking a four-day streak of showers, the national capital on Saturday recorded its wettest August day in two years, with the month's rainfall total nearly reaching the monthly average in just the first eight days.With 98.7 mm of rain till 8.30 am, Delhi marked the highest rainfall in the month of August since 2024, when 107.6 mm of rain was recorded on the first day of the month.The record took Safdarjung's cumulative rainfall for August to 225.7 mm till 8.30 am on Saturday, just a few mm short of the month's long-period average of 233.1 mm.Traffic snarls were reported at several stretches across the national capital amid incessant rain, with heavy congestion at the Kalindi Kunj border, ITO, Press Enclave Marg, Geetanjali Marg and Mehrauli-Badarpur Road. Traffic was also affected in parts of east Delhi, including stretches of GT Road.Meanwhile, several weather stations recorded light to moderate rain on Saturday.Safdarjung recorded 16.6 mm of rain between 11.30 pm on Friday and 2.30 am on Saturday, and 1.6 mm of rain in the subsequent three hours. The station recorded a total of 4.4 mm of rain between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.Pushp Vihar recorded 165 mm of rain in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday; 38.5 mm of rain between 8.30 am and 11.30 am; 18.5 mm of rain till 2.30 pm and 8.5 mm of rain in the subsequent three hours.During the first eight days of the month, Safdarjung recorded 188.4 mm of rain against a normal of around 60 mm, making it 214 per cent above normal.Palam recorded 155.4 mm against a normal of 57.9 mm for the eight-day period, making it 168 per cent above normal. Lodhi Road received 198.5 mm against a normal of 60 mm, 231 per cent above normal.The Ridge logged 184.4 mm as opposed to the normal of 56.7 mm, bringing it to 225 per cent above normal, while Aya Nagar received 239.3 mm against a normal of 43.1 mm, bringing it to a whopping 455 per cent above normal during the first eight days of August.Delhi saw an increase in the maximum temperature on Saturday, even as parts of the city received light to moderate rain throughout the day amidst a yellow alert issued by the IMD.Safdarjung, representative of the city's weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 32.8 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degree below the normal and 5.3 degrees higher than the day before.The minimum temperature was logged at 24.7 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees below the normal and marking a 0.9-degree decrease from a day before.Palam recorded a maximum of 31.4 degree Celsius, four degrees higher than on Friday, and a minimum temperature of 22.5 degrees Celsius, with a 0.7-degree decrease from a day before. Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 24.4 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar a low of 24.7 degrees, with a 0.1-degree decrease from the day before.The maximum at Lodhi Road and Ayanagar were logged at 32.4 degrees Celsius, with a 5.1-degree rise, and 29.5 degrees, 2.8 degrees higher than Friday, respectively.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast very light to light rain for the next few days."There is a possibility of very light rain at many places in the early morning hours of Sunday, with a possible spell of very light to light rain in the evening as well," an IMD official said.According to the IMD forecast, the maximum is likely to be around 33-35 degrees Celsius on Sunday. The minimum temperature is expected to be around 23-25 degrees Celsius.Meanwhile, the air quality index (AQI) of the city remained in the 'satisfactory' category on Saturday and the 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 63 (satisfactory) at 4 pm, same as a day before, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).As per the CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.
Rain in eight days nears monthly average in Delhi after wettest August day in two years
Delhi marked its rainiest August day in two years this past Saturday, with the months total rainfall nearly reaching the average after just eight days. The heavy rain led to considerable traffic snags across the city, with several weather stations noting above-normal precipitation levels. Looking ahead, light to moderate showers are anticipated in the coming days.









