The southwest monsoon will reach Delhi by the third week of June, which is about 10 days ahead of its typical schedule, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday, forecasting intermittent thunderstorms, light rainfall, and gusty winds for the next six days in the capital.
Typically, the monsoon arrives in Delhi around June 30, but an India Meteorological Department (IMD) report
suggests it could make its presence felt as early as the third week of June.
After four consecutive days of heatwave conditions in parts of the national capital, Delhi on Friday witnessed a slight dip in temperatures. The IMD issued an orange alert, forecasting hot and humid conditions along with a high likelihood of thunderstorm activity, lightning and gusty winds later in the evening.
The IMD predicts partly cloudy skies, with very light to light rainfall, thunderstorm activity and gusty winds
reaching 40–50 kmph, possibly touching 60 kmph during thunderstorm spells on
Friday night.
These conditions are likely to persist over the weekend, with rainfall expected to increase between June 16 and 18. Additionally, the IMD expects the maximum temperatures to hover between 39–41 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with further drops in both maximum and minimum readings over the next few days.
Notably, no heatwave conditions are expected from June 14 onwards. While the rainfall is not expected to be intense, it is likely to offer a short-term break from the scorching summer heat.
However, authorities noted that the precipitation may not be sufficient to impact groundwater levels significantly.
The maximum temperature at Safdarjung — the city’s official observatory — fell to 41.2 degrees Celsius, still 1.3 degrees Celsius above normal, but notably lower than Thursday’s 43.9 degrees Celsius.
The other weather stations across the city also recorded significant drops. Ridge saw the sharpest fall with a 4.9 degrees Celsius decrease in daytime temperature, while Ayanagar, Lodhi Road and Palam reported dips of 3.6 degrees Celsius, 3.7 degrees Celsius and 3.3 degrees Celsius respectively.
However, the minimum temperatures continued to rise. Safdarjung recorded a low of 31.0 degrees Celsius on Friday, compared to 30.7 degrees Celsius on Thursday and 27.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday — around 3 degrees Celsius above normal.
Despite the drop in peak temperature, discomfort levels remained high with the humidity ranging between 51 per cent and 69 per cent, and the day’s heat index (real-feel) peaking at 51.5 degrees Celsius at 2:30 pm.
As the monsoon progresses further northward, it is likely to reach western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and eventually Delhi between June 19 and 25. The rain bearing system reached Kerala on May 24, marking its earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it arrived on May 23.
Aided by strong low-pressure systems over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the monsoon advanced quickly over the next few days, covering parts up to central Maharashtra, including Mumbai, and the entire northeast by May 29.
However, it stalled from May 28-29 until June 10-11 before becoming active again.
The lack of rainfall since early June led to a sharp rise in temperatures, triggering heatwave conditions across large parts of northwest and central India since June 8-9.
According to the India Meteorological Department’s extended range forecast, the monsoon is now likely to cover the remaining parts of central and eastern India and some areas of northwest India by June 18.
It is expected to advance over most of northwest India between June 19 and June 25.
An IMD official said the system is likely to reach Delhi by June 22–23, ahead of the normal onset date of June 30.