Delhi records highest August rainfall since 2010, monthly average temperatures tumble

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Weather records were rewritten in Delhi in August, with the national capital registering its highest rainfall for the month since 2010 while also consistently witnessing below-average temperatures.

The observatory at Safdarjung — the primary weather station in Delhi — recorded 390.3 mm of rainfall in August till Friday evening, overtaking the 378.8 mm it recorded in August 2012.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the highest precipitation in Delhi in the last 15 years was recorded in 2010 at 455.1 mm.

The all-time August rainfall record stands at 583.3 mm, registered in 1961, the IMD data showed.

On Thursday, the maximum temperature in the national capital dropped to 28.8 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal, marking the lowest temperature for an August day in four years.

Rainfall throughout the month kept both the average monthly maximum and minimum temperatures below normal.

Delhi’s average maximum temperature for August so far stands at 34.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest since the 33.6 degrees recorded in 2013, the data showed.

The average monthly minimum temperature of 25.7 degrees Celsius is the lowest in at least 13 years, based on data available since 2011, according to the IMD.

The city recorded rainfall on 26 days in August, the highest since 2011, according to the data..

According to IMD data, Delhi’s long-period average rainfall for the entire season is about 650 mm. By August 30, rainfall in the city was recorded at 837.4 mm.

Meanwhile, the maximum temperature on Friday settled at 35 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal.

At 5:30 pm, the humidity level stood at 74 per cent.

The IMD has placed the city in the ‘green’ zone, indicating “no action needed” for Saturday.

The weather office has predicted cloudy skies, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 35 and 25 degrees Celsius, respectively.