Humidity raises discomfort, but city likely to see heavy showers till July 4

Gurgaon: Mercury rose over four notches in a day to settle at 38 degrees Celsius on Sunday as predicted monsoon showers were a no-show and high humidity levels made the outdoors feel more stifling.
The city’s maximum temperature was 33.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
There was little change in minimum temperature from the day before. The city recorded a minimum temperature at 28.2 degrees Celsius, a notch higher than normal and slightly higher than Saturday’s 27.4 degrees Celsius.
As humidity level touched 72% on Sunday, residents said it was hot and muggy outdoors.“Humidity was so high that it felt like I was melting,” said Manisha Jain, a resident of South City-1.
The Met department has predicted heavy rain in the city on Monday. “But its intensity is likely to decrease for the next three days as moderate to heavy rain is predicted till July 4. Residents of Gurgaon are advised to stay prepared for any sudden changes in weather conditions. Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest Monsoon into some more parts of west Rajasthan and Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab during the next two to three days,” said Shivender Singh, a scientist with IMD.
Earlier, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast heavy rain for Sunday.
This year, summer was already harsh on residents. Temperatures in Gurgaon exceeded 40 degrees Celsius for 37 days consecutively, starting mid-May, as there were little to no pre-monsoon rains. Last weekend, scorching heat gave way to a spurt of rain as monsoon made a sudden arrival, and in just a few hours, the city’s drain network was overwhelmed, leading to traffic snarls on flooded roads and waterlogged streets.
Residents said the region is becoming “unliveable”.
“In summer, it’s like living in an oven. The heat is unbearable. When it rains, our streets turn into swimming pools and there’s waterlogging everywhere. And in winter, the region is covered in toxic haze. The air quality is horrendous,” said Aahona Mishra, a resident of Sector 28.
Meanwhile, the weather in Delhi also remained humid and cloudy on Sunday, No rain was recorded until late Sunday evening. The IMD has, however, issued an orange alert for heavy rain for the next three days — Monday to Wednesday.
On Sunday, the humidity oscillated between 60% and 97% throughout the day, with bright sunshine in a few places, making it uncomfortable to be outdoors for too long.
The IMD expects the humidity to remain high throughout the week.
The capital’s base station, Safdarjung, recorded a maximum temperature of 37.1 degrees Celsius, the season’s normal, against 35.6 degrees Celsius a day earlier. The minimum temperature was 27 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, against 28 degrees Celsius a day earlier.
Despite normal or below normal temperatures, high humidity levels also kept the feel-like temperature or heat index high. The heat index on Sunday was marked at 51 degrees Celsius.
The net monthly rainfall for June was 243.4 mm (228% excess rainfall), the highest since 1936 for the month. Of this, 228.1 mm was recorded on Friday, the day monsoon arrived in the city. In June 1936, the city recorded 415.8 mm of rainfall. In June 1933, the city recorded 399 mm of rainfall.
Meanwhile, the IMD had forecast heavy rain for Delhi with gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph. On Monday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to drop and hover around 33 and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively.