Early monsoon in Delhi this year? Here’s what IMD says
This year, the monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 24, much ahead of the normal June 1 onset. By May 26, it reached Mumbai, 16 days earlier than the usual date.
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The normal date of monsoon arrival in Delhi is around June 30. (Source: Express Archives)Delhi’s agonising heat spell may finally end soon with the onset of the Southwest Monsoon likely sooner than expected.
In its extended range forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that the Southwest monsoon is expected to advance over the remaining parts of Central and East India and some parts of Northwest India from June 12 to June 18. It is further expected to cover most parts of North India, including Delhi, between June 19 and June 25.
Monsoon usually hits the Capital around June 30. This year, however, the Southwest monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 24, much ahead of the usual June 1 onset. It reached Mumbai by May 26, 16 days earlier than the usual date. It was reported to the earliest monsoon onset in the city in 75 years.
Last year, the monsoon reached the Capital on June 28. In 2023, it hit the region on June 26. The years before that saw the monsoon arriving on June 30 (2022), July 13 (2021), and June 25 (2020), according to IMD data.
Meanwhile, heatwave conditions are likely to persist in parts of the city till Saturday. Isolated areas in the city have already experienced four consecutive days of a heatwave.
On Thursday, the city registered its warmest day of the season with maximum temperature settling at 43.9 degrees Celsius, 4 degrees above normal. The “feel-like” temperature or the heatwave index touched around 54 degrees.
The minimum temperature recorded on Friday morning was 31 degrees Celsius, three notches above the seasonal average, as per the Met Office.
The IMD has also forecast rainy conditions over the next six days in Delhi. During this period, no heatwave is expected. The maximum temperature is likely to fall to 37–39 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is forecast to decline gradually to around 25–27 degrees Celsius.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Capital is likely to see partly cloudy skies, with chances of very light rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.
Between June 16 and June 19, the Capital may experience light to moderate rainfall, generally cloudy skies, and continued chances of thunderstorms or lightning, as conditions become increasingly favourable for the arrival of the monsoon, said the IMD.
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