A day after monsoon arrival, heavy rains lash Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 16 (UNI) A day after the onset of the South-West monsoon in Delhi, two weeks ahead of its scheduled date, heavy rains lashed the capital city again, maintaining the coolness in the air while throwing normal life out of gear.

The heavy monsoon showers brought down the minimum temperature to 25.7 degree, three degree below normal.

While maintaining coolness in the air, the showers also threw city life out of gear, causing traffic jams and waterlogging in several areas.

Traffic bottlenecks were witnessed on busy traffic intersections at the ITO crossing, Nizamuddin bridge, Lajpat Nagar, Model Town and Azadpur.

With monsoon having arrived in Delhi, more heavy showers were likely in the next four to five days, weatherman said.

''The current meteorological analysis suggests widespread rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy falls over western Himalayan region and northern plains during next three days,''the Met office said.

Infact, they have also forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Jammu&Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa in the coming days.

South-west monsoon arrived in Delhi and other parts of northwest India yesterday, two weeks ahead of its scheduled date of arrival of June 29.

A total of 32 mm rainfall was recorded till 0830 hrs.

The Met office has forecast a generally cloudy sky in Delhi during the next 24 hours with few spells of rain and thundershowers, one or two of which could be heavy.

UNI AR AE VP1312