Delhi Weather Today: Rain expected in the evening; IMD issues heavy downpour warning for July 21-22 | Today’s news
Delhi’s stifling monsoon break is finally coming to an end.
While scattered showers have already hit parts of the national capital, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert from Tuesday, July 21, signaling the onset of widespread and persistent rain.
Today’s weather in Delhi
Before heavier rains arrive tomorrow, here’s what you can expect in Delhi today:
Understanding the Monsoon Trough
The recent drought in Delhi and the impending shift was said to be a direct result of the trough sitting in the wrong place.
The monsoon trough is a long band of low pressure extending from Rajasthan to the Bay of Bengal. It acts as the basic “backbone” of the monsoon – wherever it sits, moist winds converge, rise, cool and form heavy rain clouds.
For more than a week this trough drifted north towards the foothills of the Himalayas. This northward shift is the exact reason why Delhi has remained hot, humid and largely dry despite the monsoon season elsewhere.
The trough finally slides back south across the northern plains, dragging the rain with it.
Why does greater magic strike on July 21st?
A low pressure system currently over West Bengal is acting as an engine, drawing in moisture from both the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west.
Together, these active wind currents pull the monsoon trough southward. This mechanism created a thick band of rain-bearing clouds extending from West Bengal and Bihar right across Uttar Pradesh and into Punjab and Chandigarh.
This massive band of clouds is the reason the IMD has issued a yellow alert expecting heavier and more widespread rain for Delhi-NCR on July 21 and 22.
Impact
The shift means much more to the capital than just a few wet evenings. The return of the plains trough signals a real revival of the monsoon in North India.
Importantly, this sustained rainfall has the potential to significantly reduce the growing rainfall deficit in the region caused by the recent drought.
