Delhi: Climate

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This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

July

2015

Temperature in Delhi: July 2015; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Aug 01 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.