The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with speed of 30-50 Km/h over most places of Delhi and its adjoining areas. The agency added that some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will also receive moderate intensity rain on Sunday.

This includes Safdarjung, Lodi Road, IGI Airport, Ayanagar, NCR ( Loni Dehat, Bahadurgarh, Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Ballabhgarh), Sonipat, Rohtak, Kharkhoda, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Kosali, Sohana, Palwal, Nuh, Aurangabad (Haryana) Gulaoti, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahar, Jahangirabad, Shikarpur, Khurja, Pahasu, according to IMD.

On Wednesday, a fresh spell of rain drenched Delhi, taking the total precipitation recorded this pre-monsoon season to 184.3 mm which is 186 percent more than normal rainfall, according to the IMD.

Copious rainfall has also yielded the best air quality in the January to May period in the city since 2016, barring 2020 which saw strict lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19. May, generally the hottest month in Delhi with a mean maximum temperature of 39.5 degrees Celsius, recorded 111 mm of rainfall this time, which is 262 per cent more than the long-term average of 30.7 mm.

This is also the fourth highest rainfall in the month after 165 mm in 2008, 144.8 mm in 2021 and 129.3 mm in 2002, according to IMD data. The city logged more than 20 mm of rainfall in April, the highest in the month since 2017, and heatwave conditions at isolated pockets.

Meteorologists attributed the excess rainfall and below-normal temperatures this pre-monsoon season (March to May) to higher-than-usual western disturbances -- weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to northwest India.

Delhi recorded maximum temperatures above the 40-degree mark for just nine days in May with heatwave conditions affecting some parts for two days.

(Edited by : Anshul)