New Delhi:
This year's monsoon in Delhi is tipped to be of the longest duration in more than 50 years with another spell of light to moderate rainfall likely this weekend while Dussehra revelries are on in the city.
According to the MeT department, the length of the current southwest monsoon is likely to exceed 120 days, breaking the previous record of 111 days recorded 57 years back.
"The southwest monsoon's withdrawal from north west India is likely to get delayed and break the previous record of latest withdrawal in 1956 and 1959, when it had occurred on October 13," said Dr OP Singh, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, New Delhi.
The normal date of withdrawal for the monsoon from Delhi is September 21. But, most years, the monsoon recedes by the end of September.
In the last 70 years, only on seven occasions has the monsoon withdrawn from the national capital region in October, in 2007 and before that in 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1974.
"In the last one week, isolated rainfall has occurred over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, western Uttar Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan and at a few places over eastern Uttar Pradesh," he said.
The delayed withdrawal could play a spoilsport for Durga Puja and Navratri, festivals which are celebrated with fanfare in Delhi NCR, as the area could see showers on Friday and Saturday.
"Another spell of light to moderate rain or thundershowers is expected to occur over Delhi NCR during the weekend (between October 11 to 12)," the MeT office said.
Meanwhile, Delhiites witnessed a sunny day today with the maximum temperature remaining above normal.
The mercury was recorded a notch above normal at 34.5 degrees Celsius while the minimum was three degrees above normal at 24.5 degrees.
Humidity in air fluctuated between 55 and 89 per cent.