Delhi: Climate
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Contents |
March
July
2015
The Times of India, Aug 01 2015
July surprise: Rain kept weather mild, air clean
Beating forecasts of a relatively dry and oppressive month, the weather in Ju y came as a pleasant surprise or Delhiites. The city saw as many as 18 rainy days, which kept temperatures in the mild zone for most part of the month. The rainfall also ensured hat air pollution levels in July were among the lowest in recent months, with the PM2.5 evel breaching the safe limit of 60 microgram per cubic metre only on eight days.
The city received total rainfall of 235.4mm during he month, 12% above the normal of 210.6mm. What stood out in the rain pattern was its distribution through the month, with the first shower being recorded on July 6 and he last on the 31st. Only on two days -July 11 (93.8mm) and July 12 (68.6mm) --did the rain turn into a deluge and caused major disruptions in the city's traffic flow.
July usually has the most oppressive weather of the year in Delhi, with high humidity coupled with heat pushing up use of air-conditioners for periods longer than any other time of the year. That's why the city invariably reaches its highest peak electricity load in July , beating the record high of the previous year. But 2015 has been different. This year, the peak load was reached in June and it was less than last year's record. While June saw the maximum temperature in Delhi hitting 45 degree Celsius as a heatwave across India made international news, July did not see the mercury touch 40 degrees on any day .
The maximum temperature during the month was 39.8 degrees C recorded on July 4. In contrast, July last year had six 40 degree-plus days. The unusually mild July weather this year was not without precedent. It closely resembled conditions experienced in 2013, when the highest July rainfall in 10 years was recorded in Delhi. The difference, however, was that a markedly different weather was expected in 2015, because it's an El Nino year.
August
2015: August rainfall 21% below normal
The Times of India, Sep 01 2015
Rains dried up in last week of August, leading to a monsoon deficit of 21% for the month and ushering in days of relatively high heat and humidity . The dry spell, from August 25 onwards, was part of a larger weakness in the monsoon which affected the entire northern plains of the country .
For the capital, however, the absence of rain interrupted what had been till then a pleasant month of August, with frequent rainy days and temperatures firmly in the pleasant zone.
According to readings at the Safdarjung station, the month had 14 rainy days, three more than normal. Despite that, August ended with a high rain deficit mainly because there were hardly any spells of sustained heavy rain. The wettest day of the season (Aug 24) saw 56mm rainfall, hardly much for August. In fact, August has seen wetter days in each of the past 10 years.
