NEW DELHI, June 29: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the wait for the arrival of monsoon in several parts of the country may be over in 5-6 days as conditions were favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon into several northern States over the next five to six days including some areas of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the national capital of Delhi.
Some parts of UP could expect monsoon in the next 2-3 days which would further advance to Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and southeast Rajasthan during the subsequent two to three days. According to weather forecasting agency Skymet, Delhi is likely to see the arrival of monsoon on July 4 if conditions remain favourable.
Meanwhile, recording its warmest morning in two years, Delhi’s minimum temperature settled at 31.1 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches above the seasonal average, while the maximum climbed to 41.8 degrees Celsius. The last time the city’s minimum temperature was higher was on June 14, 2024, when it was recorded at 33.3 degrees Celsius.
According to the weather office, a heat-wave has been realised over Delhi, and the “feels-like” temperature at 5.30 p.m., as calculated by the IMD, was around 50.7 degrees Celsius. For Monday, however, it forecast thunderstorms with rain. Skymet said the delay in the onset of the monsoon and the interaction of dry and moist winds have kept both temperatures and humidity unusually high.
“Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi around June 27-28, after which temperatures begin to ease and humidity increases. This year, however, the monsoon is likely to be delayed by about a week. Dry westerly winds from Pakistan are keeping temperatures high, while south-westerly winds from the Arabian Sea are also reaching Delhi and increasing humidity,” Mahesh Palawat, Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet, said.
“When these dry and moist air masses interact, clouds do form, but there is not enough moisture for widespread rainfall. By the time cloud formation takes place, usually around 4 or 5 pm, the day’s maximum temperature has already been recorded. That is why both the maximum temperature and the ‘feels-like’ temperature have remained unusually high,” he said.
The meteorological centre in Shimla predicted a wet spell in Himachal Pradesh till July 4, saying a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from July 2 onwards. It issued an alert for thunderstorms and gusts of 30-40 kmph in isolated place in the State between June 30 and July 4.
The isolated parts of the state are very likely to witness a heat wave in the next 24 hours, the department said, adding that thunderstorms/lightning accompanied by gusty winds are very likely at isolated places over eastern Uttar Pradesh. In Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius, 3.8 degrees above normal, and a minimum of 19.7 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal. For Jammu, the maximum stood at 37 degrees, and the minimum was 3.8 notches below normal at 22.5 degrees Celsius.
(Manas Dasgupta)
