Delhi monsoon expected by first week of July? Expert says progress is ‘slowing down’ because… | Today’s news
Delhi is witnessing light to moderate rainfall even as it awaits a heavy monsoon spell. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said the southwest monsoon is likely to advance in neighboring Uttar Pradesh in the next two to three days. But when can we expect monsoon showers in Delhi?
The normal date of onset of Southwest Monsoon in Delhi is 27th June (1961-2019) i.e. India Meteorological Department he says. Last year, the monsoon arrived late in Delhi. It started its entry over the national capital on 29 June 2025. The monsoon withdrew from Delhi on 24 September 2025, against the normal entry date of 25 September.
Read also | Rain lashes parts of Delhi amid IMD warning; monsoon to advance in UP in 2-3 days
This year, weathermen are predicting a delayed monsoon in Delhi. Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather, told PTI that the monsoon is likely to reach Delhi during the first week of July and not on June 27.
Meanwhile, an IMD official was quoted as saying, “Monsoon usually reaches Delhi around June 28, but this year it will be delayed. We don’t know exactly when it will arrive.”
Why is monsoon progress slowing down?
The arrival of the Southwest Monsoon is getting longer every day. SkyMet claimed that no major monsoon system has yet formed over the Bay of Bengal, so “monsoon progress is slow over many parts of India”.
“Active typhoons Mekhala and Higos over the western Pacific are disrupting favorable weather,” the weather agency wrote in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Skymet’s Palawat explained the weather patterns behind the delay. He said the delay was due to the absence of the key Bay of Bengal weather system, which usually helps propel rain-bearing winds towards northwest India.
Read also | Monsoon Update 2026: Heavy rain lashing Mumbai, Pune; IMD predicts more showers
A low pressure area normally develops over the Bay of Bengal around June 18-19 and helps pull moisture-laden winds from the Arabian Sea towards the Indian mainland, meteorologists said.
“The system then moves over Odisha, Bihar and East Uttar Pradesh before advancing into northwest India, including Delhi. This creates a favorable anti-cyclonic pattern that helps the monsoon move further inland,” they told PTI.
Palawat said, “We expect a favorable system to develop over the Bay of Bengal around June 25-26, after which the monsoon is likely to reach Delhi during the first week of July rather than June 27, which is the expected onset.”
Delhi Monsoon: Watch the knocks
In 2020, the Southwest Monsoon reached Delhi on 25 June and covered the entire country a day later on 26 June.
In 2021, the advance of the monsoon over Delhi was delayed until 13 July, the same day it covered the entire country.
In 2022, the monsoon reached Delhi on 30 June and covered the entire country by 2 July.
In 2023, it reached the national capital on June 25 and completed its progress over the country on July 2.
Read also | Monsoon Tracker 2026: Mumbai awaits start; heavy rain lashing Bengal, Tamil Nadu
In 2024, the monsoon advanced over Delhi on 28 June, while the entire country came under its cover on 2 July.
Last year, the monsoon reached Delhi on June 29 and simultaneously covered the entire country on the same day.
The data shows that except in 2021, the southwest monsoon has generally reached Delhi between June 25 and June 30 in the last five years.
