Delhi is likely to receive more rain this week after a brief break in monsoon activity, putting the city on course to cross its normal rainfall for August as early as Tuesday.
The capital had witnessed rain for five straight days from August 4 to August 8, receiving 229.5 mm during the month so far. That is more than 98 per cent of its normal August rainfall of 233.1 mm.
With another round of light to moderate showers forecast, Delhi could cross the monthly rainfall benchmark within the next couple of days.
Rain spells expected through the week
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast multiple spells of rain on Monday. Very light to light showers were expected during the forenoon, followed by another spell from afternoon to evening. Moderate rain could occur at isolated locations.
The weather department has issued a yellow alert for Tuesday, signalling the possibility of weather conditions that could cause disruption.
Very light to light rain is expected on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, while Friday and Saturday could see multiple spells of rain.
Despite the showers, temperatures are likely to remain relatively high at the start of the week. The maximum temperature is expected to rise to around 34°C to 36°C before falling from Tuesday. By Friday, the mercury could settle between 32°C and 34°C.
Monsoon trough shift brings rain break
The temporary pause in rainfall was linked to the monsoon trough moving away from Delhi.
Meteorologist Navdeep Dahiya wrote on X that the monsoon axis shifted south on Sunday, resulting in largely dry conditions across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
He added that as axis of monsoon might again start to shift northwards, rain is expected in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana during the second half of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Delhi records wettest first week since 2011
Delhi has already had an unusually wet start to August. Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, recorded 225.7 mm of rain between 8:30 am on August 1 and 8:30 am on August 8.
This was the wettest first week of August recorded at the station since at least 2011, highlighting the intensity of the recent spell.
With more showers forecast over the coming days, Delhi is now close to surpassing its normal rainfall for the entire month of August.