Delhi's dry spell to continue, no rains predicted for next 5 days

New Delhi, Sep 7: After a large rain deficit in August, monsoon activity has remained subdued in Delhi and neighboring areas in September so far and a good spell of rain is unlikely over the next five days.

Partly cloudy skies are predicted over the national capital on Wednesday. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 25.8 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 37 degrees Celsius.

The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, has logged just 8.8mm of rainfall against a normal of 52.5mm in September so far - a deficit of 83 percent. It had recorded just 41.6 mm of rainfall in August, the lowest in at least 14 years, due to the absence of any favourable weather system in northwest India.

Overall, the Safdarjung Observatory has recorded 361.2mm of rainfall against a normal of 569.4mm since June 1 when the monsoon season usually starts clocking a deficit of 37 per cent.

Weather experts had attributed the lack of rainfall in August to the development of three low-pressure areas over the northwest Bay of Bengal which pulled the monsoon trough over central India and did not let it move to the north for a long period. According to the India Meteorological Department, a good spell of rain is unlikely in Delhi over the next five to six days though cloudy weather will prevail.

The weather bureau has predicted below-normal rainfall in some parts of northwest India in September.