Has monsoon arrived in Delhi? IMD warns of heavy rainfall in national capital over the weekend

Delhi and its surrounding areas witnessed light rains today. Private weather forecaster Skymet expects the monsoon over Delhi, parts of Haryana, Punjab, and the western Himalayas within the next two days. Historically, the monsoon arrives in Delhi between June 27 and 29. Last year, it arrived on June 26, while in 2022, the first monsoon showers were recorded on June 30. The Southwest Monsoon, according to India Metrological Department, has further advanced into the remaining parts of the North Arabian Sea, Gujarat, and some more parts of Rajasthan, most of Madhya Pradesh, some parts of West Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, East Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and some parts of Punjab.

Delhi gets heavy rainfall warning from IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi will experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall on June 28 and 29, 2024. Rainfall activity is expected to intensify over Northwest India starting today, with heavy to very heavy rainfall in the plains of northwest India from June 28 to 30. Currently, no heatwave conditions are observed across the country.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls was recorded at isolated places in Coastal and South Interior Karnataka. Heavy to very heavy rainfall was also observed in East Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh, West Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Konkan & Goa, Kerala, Telangana, Odisha, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, with heavy rainfall at isolated places in Punjab, East Uttar Pradesh, Saurashtra & Kutch, Madhya Maharashtra, Mahe, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, East Madhya Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, Tripura, and Bihar.

Delhi weather forecast

According to the IMD's forecast, Delhi's maximum temperature will drop to 34 degrees Celsius in the next few days. The Safdarjung Observatory, the primary weather station in the national capital, recorded a temperature of 39 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, which is two notches above normal. The relative humidity varied between 59% and 62%.

The temperature is expected to gradually decrease from 38 to 36 and then to 34 degrees due to a western disturbance. This disturbance, characterized by a trough in middle tropospheric westerlies, is currently affecting the region north of a certain latitude, with strong southerly and southwesterly winds prevailing in the lower tropospheric levels from the Bay of Bengal into east and northeast India. As a result, Delhi's weather will also fluctuate, with predictions of mostly cloudy skies, light rain, and drizzle, accompanied by strong winds.

Delhi has been experiencing intense heat, with nine heatwave days recorded in June so far, compared to none in 2023 and 2022, and just one in June 2021. However, the maximum temperature has dropped below 40 degrees Celsius following a western disturbance in northwest India.

The Safdarjung Observatory recorded a temperature of 39 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, slightly above normal. The weather in Delhi has changed due to the influence of a western disturbance, leading to a drop in the maximum temperature. Pre-monsoon showers have provided some respite from the scorching heat. So far in June, Delhi has recorded nine heatwave days, a stark contrast to none in the previous two years.