New Delhi: The mercury dipped from 29 degrees Celsius at 5.40 am to 18 degrees Celsius at 7 am as heavy rains with gusty winds and thunder hit Delhi on Monday. India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the maximum wind speed reported was 70 kmph and brought much-awaited respite from the scorching heat and higher than normal temperatures since March.
RK Jenamani, a senior scientist at the IMD, said that the rains accompanied by thunder and lightning were the first storm of moderate intensity reported in Delhi this season. He said that usually between March and May, there are at least 12-14 thunderstorm occurrences but because of the lower than usual western disturbances, only four such storms were reported so far.
Weather conditions similar to Delhi were reported from parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Scattered to widespread rainfall activity was reported from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Weather in Delhi, National Capital Region, and adjoining cities has been overcast since May 21st. This will continue till May 24th.