Rain cools North India; Delhi, Punjab, Himachal and J&K set for more showers on Tuesday

NEW DELHI: Rain fell on much of northern India on Monday, including the National Capital Territory (NCT). The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted cloudy skies with a possibility of light rain on Tuesday, with the minimum temperature beginning its winter slide.

"The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover at 23 and 10 degrees respectively tomorrow," a Met Department representative told news agency PTI.

Trace amounts of dampened Delhi and its surrounding areas, possibly indicating the coming of the winter. The rains across the northern plains follow days of snow across many parts of Himachal Pradesh.

The minimum temperature in Delhi settled around 8.2 degress Celsius, one degree below the normal for December 11. However, the maximum temperature, at 24.2 degrees Celsius, was one degree above normal.

The IMD forecast sees the temperatures holding steady till the weekend, followed by a drop in the minimums. The Met Department's seven-day forecast saw the minimum settling at 7 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

The Met Department has also predicted rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, northern Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi on Tuesday. Jammu and Kashmir could receive hail or thunder showers.