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Intermittent drizzle during R Day parade, wet days ahead

Earlier there was no forecast of rains but a low pressure system, which built above Rajasthan yesterday, led to light showers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 66th Republic Day parade in New Delhi

Press Trust of India New Delhi
Intermittent drizzle failed to dampen the spirits of thousands of spectators who had gathered on both sides of the Rajpath to witness the Republic Day parade where US President Barack Obama was the Chief Guest.

Earlier there was no forecast of rains but a low pressure system, which built above Rajasthan yesterday, led to light showers.

According to Meteorological department, rain gauges measured 1.4 mm of rainfall in the city till 8:30 AM. From 8:30 onwards till 11:30 AM, 0.8 mm of rainfall was recorded in the city.

Similar weather conditions are expected to remain for the next three days.
 
"There was no forecast of rains initially but a cyclonic circulation which pumped moisture from Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea caused the formation of a low pressure system over Rajasthan yesterday," M Durai Sami, in-charge of Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, told PTI.

This system resulted in rains over Delhi and surrounding areas. One or two spells of light rains or thunderstorms are expected today and similar weather conditions will prevail for the next couple of days, he added.

The rainfall which started last night, prompted many spectators to carry umbrellas to the venue. However, they were not allowed in the sitting arena by security personnel and had to be kept out.

Overcast conditions prevented the audience from having a clear view of the majestic fly past by Indian Air Force planes.

"The 'Trishul' and the 'Vertical Charlie' manoeuvre performed by Sukhoi could not be seen because of the cloud cover," said Rohtash, a student who was in the audience.

The minimum temperature settled at 11.6 degree Celsius which was three notches above normal for this part of the season. Humidity was recorded at 97 per cent at 8:30 AM.

Dense fog was witnessed in the morning which in addition to the overcast conditions and rains caused low visibility hitting rail operations. Railway officials said that while 33 north-bound trains were running late, two were cancelled.

Flight operations were already shut at the Indira Gandhi International Airport as no plane was allowed to land or take off here during the time of the Republic Day parade.

The weatherman said that it would generally be a cloudy sky which will turn partly cloudy afternoon onwards and the maximum temperature is expected to be around 17 degree Celsius.

Yesterday, the maximum and minimum temperature had settled down at 18.3 degrees Celsius and 8.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.

In addition to Delhi, areas in south Haryana, eastern Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are also expected to receive rainfall in the next 72 hours, he said.

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First Published: Jan 26 2015 | 3:25 PM IST

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