New Delhi: The monsoon may withdraw from Delhi this week. Rain is unlikely during the coming week.“Conditions are becoming favourable for further withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from some more parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours,” said the India Meteorological Department in its bulletin on Sunday.IMD has not commented on when the monsoon is expected to retreat from Delhi. The normal withdrawal date for the monsoon in Delhi is Sept 25.In this monsoon season, Delhi has already received 35% excess rainfall. Safdarjung logged 902.6 mm so far against the normal 640.04 mm. The excess has been consistent since June, with rainfall each month higher than the long-period average. June witnessed excess rain of 45%, July 24% and August 72%. Even Sept already saw an excess rainfall of 10%.As rain is unlikely over the next few days, the mercury is expected to hover around 34-36 degrees Celsius in the city. Delhiites experienced a hot and humid day on Sunday. The maximum temperature on Sunday was recorded at 35.3 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. The relative humidity oscillated between 51% and 89%, with the heat index or feel-like temperature reaching 40.2 degrees Celsius at 2:30 pm.The minimum temperature was reported at 24.3 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal.Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality continued to stay in the ‘moderate’ category. The Air Quality Index was 127.
