Rain clouds R-day in Delhi

New Delhi: Spells of light showers Sunday night and early Monday morning played spoilsport at the 66th Republic Day celebrations, where US President Barack Obama is the the chief guest. The Met Office has forecast intermittent rain throughout the day.

The sky will turn partly cloudy from afternoon onwards with very light intermittent rain likely in some areas throughout the day. There was moderate fog in the morning, an official of the India Meteorological Department told IANS.

The day's maximum temperature is likely to hover around 17 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature settled three notches above the season's average at 11.6 degrees Celsius.

The city has received 1.4 mm of rainfall since Sunday.

However, the rain did not dampen the spirit of the enthusiastic people, who reached Rajpath to witness the parade which showcases India's military prowess and cultural diversity.

Due to the security threat, people were not even allowed to carry umbrellas to the venue, and were seen covering themselves with their jackets and the programme schedule.

Obama and his wife Michelle sat in a special glass enclosure along with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President M. Hamid Ansari and his wife, and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his junior minister Rao Inderjit Singh.

Due to the fog, the visibility at 8.30 a.m. slumped to 500 metres and led to the delay of 33 trains, and forcing reschedule of three trains. Another two were cancelled.

Sunday's maximum temperature was recorded three notches below the season's average at 18.3 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was recorded one notch above the season's average at 8.5 degrees Celsius.