Rain, storm lashes Delhi ahead of monsoon's formal arrival

New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Delhi residents finally heaved a sigh of relief Friday as pre-monsoon showers lashed several parts of the city and brought down the mercury. The weather office forecast more rains Saturday as the monsoon finally keeps its date with the capital.

Stormy weather brought the traffic to a standstill in some areas while children could be seen frolicking in the first showers. Several Delhi residents thronged to India Gate to savour the weather.

"Its been a long wait this year. We plan on staying out throughout the evening and enjoying the rain," said Aryan, a high school student.

The pleasant weather is here to stay, as the met office has forecast more rains over the weekend.

"Saturday will see cloudy skies and more thundershowers can be expected. The maximum and minimum temperature are expected to be around 36 and 26 degrees Celsius," an official at the India Meteorological Department said.

Delhi had been reeling under intense heat as monsoon, which generally arrives in the capital June 29, missed its date. The scorching heat has forced the summer vacations in Delhi government schools to be extended by a week till July 9. Some private schools followed suit.

The day's maximum temperature went below 40 degrees to 38.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above average while the minimum temperature was a notch above average at 29.1 degrees Celsius.

The day's maximum and minimum humidity readings were 69 and 50 percent respectively.

Thursday's maximum temperature was five notches above average at 41.1 degrees Celsius and the minimum was two notches above at 29.5 degrees Celsius.