New Delhi, July 27 - Heavy rains lashed parts of the capital Monday afternoon, bringing respite to the Delhiites who were cringing in discomfort because of high humidity. However, the shower failed to bring down the temperature appreciably.

'The capital has received 39.6 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours (since Sunday evening),' an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) told IANS.

For most of the daily commuters the sudden lash of rain late in the afternoon came as a surprise, as many Delhi roads were immediately inundated.

Rita Joshi, an office-goer, said she was caught unawares by the heavy rain.