The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Sunday that southwest monsoon is expected to advance into several northern states over the next five to six days. This comes as Delhi experiences its hottest morning in two years, with temperatures soaring amid a delay in seasonal rainfall.
Delhi recorded minimum temperature of 31.1 degrees Celsius, which is 3.2 degrees above the seasonal average. The maximum temperature reached 41.8 degrees Celsius. The last time the city experienced a higher minimum temperature was on June 14,2024,when it was 33.3 degrees Celsius. The IMD indicated that the “feels-like” temperature in Delhi hit around 50.7 degrees Celsius by late afternoon.
Conditions are now favorable for monsoon to move into parts of the North Arabian Sea, as well as areas of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,within the next two to three days . The IMD also warned of potentially severe heatwave conditions in Uttar Pradesh on July 28 and 29 . The monsoon is projected to reach Delhi by July 4,provided the weather conditions remain favorable.
In meantime, Tamil Nadu is expected to experience scattered rain until June 30. The monsoon's progression is anticipated to continue into regions of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh,and southeast Rajasthan over the following days . However,the IMD cautioned that the interaction of dry and moist winds has kept temperatures and humidity levels unusually high.
Mahesh Palawat,Vice President of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet,explained that delay in the monsoon's arrival is due to dry westerly winds from Pakistan, which are maintaining elevated temperatures. Meanwhile, southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea are contributing to increased humidity. He noted that while cloud formation occurs when these air masses interact, there is insufficient moisture for widespread rainfall.
The meteorological center in Shimla has forecasted a wet spell in Himachal Pradesh until July 4, with fresh western disturbance expected to affect northwest India starting July 2 . alert has been issued for thunderstorms and gusts of 30-40 km/h in isolated areas of the state between June 30 and July 4. Isolated regions are also likely to experience a heatwave in the next 24 hours, with thunderstorms and lightning predicted in eastern Uttar Pradesh .
In Jammu and Kashmir,Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius,which is 3.8 degrees above normal,while the minimum was 19.7 degrees Celsius,2.6 degrees above normal. In Jammu,the maximum temperature reached 37 degrees Celsius,with a minimum of 22.5 degrees Celsius,which is 3.8 degrees below normal. The weather office has predicted pre-monsoon showers in the plains of Jammu and surrounding areas on June 29,along with intense heavy showers, thunder,and gusty winds in certain locations.
