india

Updated: Jul 26, 2019 06:15 IST

Light to moderate rain was recorded in the district between July 18 and 24, leading to a ‘normal’ monsoon week, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Gurugram received 36.5mm rainfall in this period, which was 9% short of what the district usually receives during this time, experts said.

The week was the first since the arrival of monsoon on July 5 when the district didn’t record a high rainfall deficit. Earlier, between July 11 and 17, Gurugram had received only 4.5mm rainfall against a normal of 54.7mm, leading to a ‘large deficit’ of 92%. In comparison, the rainfall deficit between July 1 and 10 in the district was 55%.

The ‘normal’ rainfall between July 18 and 24 also brought the overall deficit in the month to 56% from around 80% in the week before that, as per data with the IMD. According to scientists, the rainfall deficiency is likely to come down further with widespread rain expected in the region this week.

The IMD has predicted a very high probability of rain and thunderstorm between Friday and Sunday. “The monsoon trough is shifting southwards and hence more rains are expected across the northern plains marking the end of the pause in monsoon rainfall,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, senior scientist at the IMD.

Rain was reported in some parts of Delhi on Thursday. However, Gurugram remained largely dry except isolated showers in some parts of the district. Due to the cloudy skies and moderate wind speed, the day temperature fell by more than five degrees to touch 31 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature too fell to 25 degrees Celsius on Thursday from 26.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

With rain expected this week, the day temperature is likely to be around 31 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature would come down by a degree, an IMD spokesperson said.

Earlier, the IMD had predicted an intense spell of rainfall in the city on Wednesday. The spell of showers was likely to continue till at least Friday.