Monsoon hits Delhi three days early, promising boost to growth
Pedestrians cross road during a downpour in New Delhi on June 17, 2011. The Indian capital experienced monsoon showers bringing relief from recent hot and humid conditions.
The much awaited monsoon rains hit Delhi three days early on Sunday, bringing a brief respite from weeks of sweltering weather. The prospect of a "normal" monsoon also promises to boost India's agriculture-dependent economy even as inflation threatens to derail it.
Heavy rain in the early hours of Sunday allowed many Delhiites to switch off their air-conditioners as the minimum temperature dropped to a pleasant 25.9 degrees Celsius and the maximum stayed within a tolerable 36.3 degrees, both two degrees below normal, according to the Times of India.
Just a day or two earlier, many Delhi neighborhoods were forced to endure electricity outages (here called "power cuts") for as long as 15 hours as the utility company struggled to meet record demand for power.
This year, northwest India, the meteorological region under which Delhi falls, is predicted to received 97% of its average rainfall, TOI said.