As Delhi continued to reel under intense heat and recorded its warmest morning in two years on Sunday, the wait for monsoon relief may soon end. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said conditions are favourable for the southwest monsoon to advance into several northern states, including Delhi, over the next five to six days.
The national capital on Sunday recorded its warmest morning in two years as the “feels-like” temperature at 5.30 pm, as calculated by the IMD, was around 50.7 degrees Celsius.
The last time the city’s minimum temperature was higher was on June 14, 2024, when it was recorded at 33.3 degrees Celsius.
What is the forecast for Delhi?
According to IMD’s daily weather bulletin, the national capital may witness partly cloudy skies along with the possibility of very light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds on Monday.
Strong surface winds of 20-30 kmph, occasionally gusting up to 40 kmph, are likely during the day.
According to weather forecasting agency Skymet, Delhi is likely to see the arrival of monsoon on July 4 if conditions remain favourable.
Where has the monsoon reached so far?
The Met Department said the southwest monsoon has advanced further into parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
Conditions remain favourable for its further advance into the remaining parts of northwest and central India over the next three to four days.
Currently, the northern limit of the southwest monsoon passes through Surat, Indore, Mandla, Daltonganj and Motihari as of June 29.
Which states are likely to receive heavy rainfall?
The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over several parts of the country during the coming week. On Monday, isolated heavy rainfall is likely over parts of Bihar, Odisha, West and Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Konkan and Goa, Coastal Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and parts of the Northeast.
During July 1 to 4, heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, East Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and several northeastern states.
The IMD has also forecast extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on Monday.
Which states will continue to witness heatwave conditions?
Despite increasing monsoon activity, heatwave conditions are expected to continue in isolated pockets of northwest India.
The IMD has forecast heatwave conditions over Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh on June 29 and 30, while isolated parts of Bihar and East and West Uttar Pradesh are likely to experience heatwave conditions on Monday.
Maximum temperatures over northwest India are expected to decline by 4-6 degrees Celsius between June 30 and July 2, bringing relief as monsoon activity intensifies.
