JOIN USMorning rain scales down temperature in Delhi
Even before the rain, the nip was there in the early morning air. Those who left home in the morning had to wrap themselves in shawls or use light jackets or pullovers to get the warmth. “Initially I thought I don’t need anything. But once I stepped out, I realised that the shawl is a must,” said Shivani Sharma, a school teacher in east Delhi, who left her home around 7 am.
The capital recorded 18.08 mm of rainfall, which brought down the maximum temperature by 4 degrees. The rain cleared the cloudiness that was in place for the last two days.
Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius–a drop of 4 degrees–and a minimum of 17. 6 degrees Celsius. In places like Hindon (Ghaziabad), adjacent to eastern city limits, the minimum temperature dropped to 13.8 degrees. “It may be the beginning of early winter. Temperature will gradually dip further, only when the dry northerly wind comes,” an weatherman told Deccan Herald.
The capricious bout of rain disrupted the air-traffic. As many as 17 national and international flights were diverted to nearby airports such as Jaipur, Dehradun, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Ahmedebad and Lucknow as they could not land in Delhi due to bad weather conditions. The shower came at office-hours and caught people unawares, though the Indian Meteorological Department had predicted it for the last two days. Some rain can be expected on Sunday as well.
“The pre-winter rain was caused by western disturbances. It has the typical warming-rain-cooling signature. However, since the drop in temperature will average out over a period, the winter can sustain if the northerly or zonal winds start flowing,” said the weatherman. This can happen if there is early snowfall in the hills.
Twelve flights diverted to Jaipur
Twelve domestic flights scheduled for Delhi were on Saturday diverted to Sanganer airport in Jaipur due to unfavourable weather in New Delhi, airport officials said, PTI reports.