Delhi’s official weather station at Safdarjung recorded 104.8 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday, pushing the cumulative rainfall this rainy season to 38% above normal. From June 1, the start of monsoon in Delhi, the city has received 509.22 mm of rainfall. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the Capital saw rainfall in excess of 45% in June and 24% in July. Rain was recorded in Delhi on all days of July, except 20 and 21.

However, the trend of excess rain in the national capital started in May, which is considered to be the peak of summer. The city recorded its wettest May this year since the weather department started record-keeping in 1901. The cumulative rainfall for the month touched 186.4 mm, surpassing the previous record of 165 mm set in May 2008, leading to a relatively milder summer and an extended monsoon.

IMD data from 1971 to 2020 show that Delhi has received, on average, 640.4 mm of rainfall from June to September. In 2024, the rainfall was recorded at 1,029.9 mm, categorised as ‘large excess’. Over the past 10 years, 2014 saw the driest spell, with 370.8 mm of rainfall, while the 2021 monsoon was the wettest, with 1,169.7 mm of rainfall.

Meanwhile, the current spell of rain, which started on Friday night, also resulted in the Capital recording its coldest August day in at least 14 years on Saturday, with the maximum temperature settling at 26.4 degrees Celsius, 7.8 degrees below normal. The previous lowest daytime temperature for August was 27.9 degrees Celsius recorded in 2012.

The IMD has forecast more rain on Sunday with “partly cloudy skies and very light to light rain and thundershowers”.