As cloud cover enveloped the national Capital as parts of the city received rain on Wednesday, weather remained muggy and suffocating for Delhiites due to 100 per cent humidity level recorded in the city.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the humidity level stood at 75 per cent at 8:30 am and 100 per cent at 5:30 pm. Parts of the city and the adjoining region of Delhi received light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms, with wind speeds of 40 to 60 kmph, and lightning. The sky remained cloudy throughout the day.

Safdarjung, the city's primary weather station, recorded the maximum temperature at 34.1 degrees celsius, three notches below the normal. The minimum temperature settled at 29 degrees Celsius, a notch above the normal.

Researchers suggest that these humid and hot conditions, largely driven by global warming, during monsoons are a significant challenge to the health and well-being of the people of India, especially to physical labour. Prolonged exposure to such conditions can result in potentially fatal health hazards.

They also drew attention to the immediate need to revise outdoor working hours, especially in the regions experiencing extreme moist heat conditions during monsoon season, as humid heat can severely impact labour productivity.

"For instance, a 3 degrees Celsius increase in global warming can reduce labour productivity by 7 per cent and contribute to at least 4 per cent reduction of GDP in India, which leads to inflation in crop prices," the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Earth's Future.

Therefore, with work performance projected to decline in the country by 30-40 per cent by the end of the century, the rising moist heat during monsoon can be devastating in the future, they said.

Further, there was no warning for heavy rain in Delhi by the met department after days of failed prediction by the IMD about heavy rain in the city. The IMD stated that their predictions analyse models and other measurements, which sometimes do not align. For instance, due to the shifting of the rainfall belt, heavy rain did not occur in Delhi as forecast last time.

The IMD advised the public to be cautious of slippers roads, low visibility, disruption in traffic and localised water logging in low lying areas which was caused due to the rain spell. On Friday, there was a flood like situation in the city after Delhi received heavy rain.

“Avoid going to areas that face water logging problems often, check for traffic congestion on your route and be updated with weather warning,” the IMD advised the public. In order to address the issue of water logging on National Highways during the monsoon season, NHAI has taken various measures for flood preparedness and provide emergency response on the National Highways across the country.