By IANS,
New Delhi: Thundershowers with hailstones lashed the national capital Friday evening, bringing down the temperature. The Met Office said the winter showers are likely to continue till Saturday morning and the temperatures would dip.
The sudden heavy showers also affected road traffic, creating snarls in some places.
“The rains are likely to continue till tomorrow (Saturday) morning…It won’t be continuous but staggered. We are, however, expecting a clear sky with no rain for tomorrow,” an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) told IANS.
During the day, which was cloudy, the temperature hovered around 23 degrees Celsius. The heavy downpour is expected to bring down the night and morning temperatures by a few notches.
“The rain for this time of the year is not unusual. The winter showers are supposed to happen at the end of January or first week of February, but this time they appear delayed,” the official added.
The capital has recorded nearly 14.8 mm of rainfall so far this week. It had rained lightly a few days ago.
“It’s pouring cats and dogs today! I just can’t even step out of my office,” said Amit Mehra, a sales executive in south Delhi.
“There were also hailstones along with the rain. I could’nt move from the bus stop,” said Arvind Sharma, an office-goer.
Within minutes of the downpour, traffic on the roads was badly hit.
“The traffic is crawling. The rain is heavy and it’s peak traffic hour! To top it all, so many roads and pavements have been dug up and the watery muck is now on the roads,” said Rahul Srestha, driving home from his office.