Monsoon arrives in Delhi, five days behind schedule

The southwest monsoon advanced over Delhi on Thursday, five days after its normal onset date of June 27, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. This is the first time since 2021 that the monsoon has reached the national capital in July; in 2021, it arrived on July 13.

Light rain in the early hours led to a drop in temperatures, bringing relief. The maximum temperature was recorded at 38.4 degrees Celsius , 2.6 degrees below normal, while the minimum settled at 22.8 degrees Celsius, 5.1 degrees below normal for this time of the year. The IMD has forecast light rain over the coming days.

“The southwest monsoon has further advanced into parts of Gujarat, the remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh, the entire Delhi region, most parts of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, and parts of Rajasthan on July 2. Conditions are favourable for further advance into parts of the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan during the next two to three days,” the IMD said.

For July 3, the forecast is for a generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of very light to light rain, accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph, reaching up to 50 kmph during the morning or forenoon. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to range between 30 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius, and 20 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively.

While the monsoon has set in, no heavy rainfall is expected over the next few days. However, temperatures are likely to remain appreciably below normal, the IMD said.