Delhi likely to get monsoon in two days: Met department

Delhi is likely to receive the southwest monsoon within the next two days, ending a prolonged wait and offering respite from the lingering summer heat. The arrival will mark the latest monsoon onset over the national Capital in five years.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), conditions are favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into more parts of the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and parts of Rajasthan during the next two days.

According to the IMD, the southwest monsoon reached Delhi on June 25, 2020, a day before it covered the entire country on June 26. In 2021, the monsoon arrived much later, reaching Delhi on July 13, the same day it covered the entire country.

In 2022, the monsoon advanced over Delhi on June 30 and covered the entire country on July 2. It reached the national Capital on June 25, 2023, while the entire country came under monsoon conditions by July 2. In 2024, the monsoon arrived in Delhi on June 28 and covered the whole country on July 2. Last year, the southwest monsoon reached Delhi on June 29, the same day it completed its advance over the entire country.

The IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain for Delhi on Wednesday night and issued a yellow alert. Similar weather conditions are expected on Thursday. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 33 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is expected to be around 23 degrees Celsius.

No measurable rainfall was recorded between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm at any of Delhi’s five weather stations on Wednesday. However, the 24-hour cumulative rainfall till 8.30 am was recorded as a trace at Safdarjung, Palam and Ayanagar. Ridge recorded 0.2 mm of rainfall, while Lodhi Road recorded none.

The maximum temperature ranged between 33.2 degrees Celsius and 34.8 degrees Celsius, remaining below normal across all five IMD stations.

Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 34.8 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees below normal. Palam recorded 33.6 degrees Celsius, 4.2 degrees below normal, while Lodhi Road recorded 33.7 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees below normal. Ridge and Ayanagar both recorded 33.2 degrees Celsius, which was 3.5 degrees and 4.9 degrees below normal, respectively.

The minimum temperature varied across the city, with Safdarjung recording 28.6 degrees Celsius, 0.7 degrees above normal. Palam recorded 26 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees below normal, while Lodhi Road recorded 28 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. Ridge recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 24.5 degrees Celsius, one degree below normal, and Ayanagar recorded 27.4 degrees Celsius, 0.6 degrees above normal.

Humidity levels continued to rise ahead of the expected monsoon onset, with the relative humidity recorded at 75 per cent at 8.30 am and 62 per cent at 5.30 pm.

Explaining the delay, Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Skymet Weather, said the humid easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, which are essential for sustained monsoon rainfall, have not yet reached Delhi.

He said the seasonal trough acts as the backbone of the southwest monsoon. It is an elongated zone of low atmospheric pressure that draws moisture-laden winds from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal deep into the Indian mainland, helping organise widespread rainfall.