New Delhi: Delhi is likely to receive light to moderate post-monsoon rainfall over the next two to three days, with India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow alert for Saturday.The showers are expected due to a combination of weather systems despite the southwest monsoon having withdrawn from the capital earlier this week.Weather officials said rainfall activity is likely on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, though no warning has been issued beyond Saturday.The southwest monsoon withdrew from Delhi on Sept 23, two days ahead of its normal withdrawal date of Sept 25, marking the earliest retreat from the capital since 2002. Safdarjung, the city’s base observatory, recorded 728.6mm of rainfall during the season, about 16% above the long-period average of 629.7mm.Meteorologists attributed the fresh spell of rain to a depression over Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which is moving towards Uttar Pradesh, and its interaction with a weak western disturbance.“There is a depression over Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which is moving towards Uttar Pradesh. There is also a feeble western disturbance, and their confluence will lead to rain. While heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Uttarakhand and northwest Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan may receive light to moderate rainfall till Sept 28,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-chairman of Skymet.Moist easterly winds and cloudy skies also kept temperatures in check on Friday. The maximum temperature settled at 33°C, one degree below normal and lower than Thursday’s 35.9°C, while the minimum was 24.2°C.IMD has forecast maximum and minimum temperatures of 32-34°C and 22-23°C, respectively, on Saturday.Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality improved, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 78 in the satisfactory category.
