Rain and strong winds swept across Delhi on Monday, bringing much-needed relief from the intense summer heat as several parts of the city received light to moderate rainfall. The weather change led to a noticeable drop in temperatures and improved air quality in some areas after days of hot and humid conditions.

There were strong gale-force winds that accompanied the rain, and in Palam, squalls were recorded at wind speeds reaching 93 kmph in the afternoon hours. The onset of such sudden weather conditions caused a disruption of transport operations in several places, as well as flooding in some parts. The rain that occurred from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm increased the humidity level.

The temperature at the Ridge station was reported 38.8 degrees Celsius in spite of the showers. The rain happened mainly due to favourable atmospheric conditions in Northwestern India.

Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather said, "There was a cyclonic circulation over Punjab, Haryana and nearby areas, which led to rain over Delhi. Moisture-laden south-westerly winds from the Arabian Sea also helped in the development of this weather activity. Because of the moisture and the cyclonic circulation, parts of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi received rain."

He further said the activity is likely to continue for the next two days, although its intensity will reduce gradually. "Since there is still moisture in the air, temperatures are not expected to rise significantly during this period. After that, temperatures are likely to start increasing again," he said.

Meteorologists have associated the current weather system with pre-monsoonal conditions, which have been prevailing over many regions in northern India. The same type of rainfall and lightning activity has also been observed recently in many areas of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. These types of weather systems tend to reduce the temperature during the day, while increasing humidity.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi is likely to witness thunderstorms along with light to moderate rains in the next two days. Cloudy weather conditions along with rains are likely to prevail, while maximum temperatures could be maintained between 36°C to 38°C, while the minimum temperature would be around 26°C to 28°C.

Rainfall activity is anticipated to persist in Delhi up to June 17 with the occurrence of thunderstorms and rainfall with gusty winds in some parts of Delhi. The frequency of rainfall activity would decrease from June 18. Daytime temperature may start increasing as moisture content in the atmosphere decreases with reduced cloud cover to reach 39°C to 41°C between June 19 and June 21. However, it should be remembered that any occurrence of a western disturbance or a cyclonic circulation in the northwest region of India may affect the forecast.

The recent rains have brought to light the period when the southwest monsoon is yet to hit northern India. Even as the monsoon season has been witnessed in many parts of the country, the southwest monsoon setting in Delhi would largely depend on the weather developments in the coming weeks.