Light showers pull mercury down in Delhi-NCR (Lead)

New Delhi March 10 (IANS) Light showers on Friday in the national capital and adjoining areas pulled the mercury down by 4 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature settled at 28.4 degrees season s average the Met Office here said. It has forecast similar weather for Saturday as well.

The weather office said the city witnessed intermittent light rain on Friday afternoon and evening at many places in the city for the second consecutive day. On Thursday evening light showers saw the mercury slide down by 9 degrees Celsius.

Due to light rain Delhi s temperature dropped three to four degrees on Friday the India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

He said that the sudden rainfall was due to the western disturbance -- a storm system originating from the Caspian Sea and moving across the Afghanistan-Pakistan region which cause rain and snowfall in the Indian subcontinent s north-west region.

There will be cloudy sky with moderate rain likely to occur towards afternoon and evening on Saturday he added.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 26 and 14 degrees Celsius according to the forecast.

It was a partly cloudy Friday morning here with the minimum temperature at 14.6 degrees Celsius a notch above the season s average while the humidity oscillated between a high of 96 and low of 45 per cent.

Thursday s maximum and minimum temperatures settled at 28.4 and 14.6 degrees Celsius both average for the season.

--IANS
rak/nir/vt