Monsoon clouds reach Delhi, but onset to be official on Thursday

NEW DELHI: The monsoon trough on Wednesday touched Delhi-NCR covering parts of Punjab and Chandigarh, but IMD said the official onset for the capital would be declared only on Thursday.
Delhi woke up to a spell of light rain with Safdarjung, the base station for the capital, receiving 14.6mm rainfall between 8.30am and 5.30pm. Rain was also recorded at the Lodhi Road station, with parts of central, south and east Delhi receiving showers.The Met department forecast an increase in the intensity of rain in the next 48 hours, adding that parts of Delhi could even receive "heavy" rain on Thursday.
Kuldeep Srivastava, IMD scientist and head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, said they assessed rainfall in a 24-hour period till 8.30am to assess the progress of the monsoon. The maximum rain occurred only after 8.30am. "The onset will be declared for Delhi on Thursday," said Srivastava.
The capital could see a spell of light to moderate rainfall on both Thursday and Friday, keeping the temperature well below the normal mark. However, the humidity level may increase. "For Thursday, heavy rain, enough to cause waterlogging, may occur at some places. The intensity will be more on Thursday than Friday," Srivastava said.
Rainfall is considered "light" if it's between 2.5mm & 15.5mm and "moderate" when it is between 15.6mm and 64.4mm. Over 64.5mm in 24 hours is considered "heavy" rainfall.
The maximum temperature in Delhi on Wednesday was 34.6°C, three notches below normal, while the humidity levels oscillated between 70% and 100% in the past 24 hours, an official said. Met department has forecast moderate showers for Thursday with the maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 36-28°C, respectively.
The air quality, meanwhile, has been improving steadily over the past week. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 66 (satisfactory), an improvement from Tuesday's 76 (satisfactory). The AQI is expected to improve further by Friday due to moderate showers expected a day earlier, the official added.
SAFAR said further improvement in AQI was expected over the next two days. "A fairly widespread rain is expected in the next 48 hours, which will also improve the air quality," SAFAR added.