Why Is It Raining This Heavily In Delhi Today? Weather Scientist Explains

As Tuesday's sudden rains brought relief from heat and humidity in Delhi and surrounding areas, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said it is not because of the monsoon.

Senior scientist at IMD Dr Naresh Kumar said the monsoon has already left Delhi and the north west region. "A low pressure is forming in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, causing the rain in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh," he said. Kumar said that light rainfall will persist till Thursday in and around Delhi.

The likelihood of rain will increase in east India from October 2. Rainfall is also expected in Bihar and north east Uttar Pradesh in this period.

Further, the approach of a western disturbance on October 4 will bring rain to north west India, while heavy rainfall is expected in the western Himalayas on October 6.

After October 4, the elevated temperatures across north west India will begin to drop.

As festivals like Navratri and Durga Puja come to their fag end, the rains along with festive rush led to traffic snarls in Delhi-NCR. Traffic jams were reported near Jamia Millia Islamia, Pitampura, Mathura Road, Outer Ring Road and along the Delhi-Gurugram stretch.

The maximum temperature on Tuesday is expected to settle around 35 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was recorded at 28.7 degrees Celsius, 5.4 notches above normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 114 at 8 am, in the 'moderate' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).