Evening rain brings first signs of chill across NCR

NEW DELHI: Residents in the city witnessed brief spells of intense rain and a pleasant chill on Tuesday as a prevailing western disturbance continued to make an impact, leading to a drop in temperature and even visibility during the day.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, no more rain is expected, with a further drop in the minimum temperature.

As many as 100 flights were delayed and 15 diverted from Delhi to nearby areas due to the rains, officials said. "This included eight to Jaipur, five flights to Lucknow, and two to Chandigarh," said an airport official. A flight is classified as "delayed" if it is late by 15 minutes or more.

While light overnight showers were recorded first between 2am and 5am, a second, more intense spell was recorded during the day between 2.30pm and 5.30pm, with dark grey clouds dominating the city skyline. Delhi's minimum can now dip by 1-2℃ beginning Wednesday after fresh snowfall in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, officials said.

In the 24 hours till 8.30am on Tuesday, Safdarjung, the city's base station, logged 12.6mm of rainfall, recording another 5.8mm in the next nine hours, data till 5.30pm showed.