Rain lashes parts of Delhi as IMD issues yellow alert; Monsoon will advance in UP in next 2-3 days | Today’s news
Rainfall lashed parts of Delhi on Wednesday evening, bringing relief from the scorching weather during the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier issued a yellow alert for the city and predicted light rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning.
The temperature in Delhi hovered around 39 degrees Celsius as of 5.30 pm.
Delhi has received 39.6 mm of rainfall so far this month against the normal of 48.3 mm, a deficit of 8.7 mm or 18 percent below the long-term average, according to IMD data.
The capital witnessed contrasting rainfall trends during the pre-monsoon season. In April, Delhi recorded 30 mm of rainfall against the normal of 16.3 mm, an excess of about 84 percent, due to pre-monsoon rains, PTI reported.
Read also | Priyanka Chaturvedi hits out at BMC as rains cause heavy waterlogging in Mumbai
However, rainfall fell below normal in May, with 17.6 mm recorded against the long-term average of 30.7 mm, a deficit of around 43 percent.
The pattern was markedly different last year as Delhi received only 0.7 mm of rainfall in April 2025 against the normal of 16.3 mm, a deficit of about 96 per cent.
Monsoon Update
Monsoon is likely to reach Delhi during the first week of July instead of June 27, which is the expected start, Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Skymet Weather, told PTI.
IMD also said that conditions are favorable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon to some other parts of North Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, some parts of Uttar Pradesh during the next 2-3 days; some other parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Uttarakhand during the next 2-3 days.
Read also | Monsoon arrives in Mumbai after a delay of two weeks
On June 24, 2026, Southwest Monsoon advanced over some parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of Maharashtra and some other parts of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the IMD said.
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. “Monsoon usually reaches Delhi around June 28, but this year it will be delayed. We don’t know exactly when it will reach,” an IMD official told PTI.
According to IMD data, the Southwest Monsoon reached Delhi on 25 June 2020 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.
Read also | The IMD says the monsoon is expected to advance over key central and eastern states by June 23
Monsoon reached Delhi on 30 June 2022 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. 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.
Weather in Mumbai
Earlier, SkyMet had predicted that “a few rain showers and thunderstorms with strong winds and light lightning” are likely to occur over parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur and adjoining districts in the next four to six hours.
The weather forecast agency on Wednesday also predicted that scattered light to heavy rains and thunderstorms with strong winds are likely to continue over Mumbai and suburban Mumbai in the next 12-18 hours.
Why is monsoon progress slowing down?
The southwest monsoon is getting longer every day this year.
SkyMet he explained that no major monsoon system has yet formed over the Bay of Bengal, so the advance of the monsoons is slow in many parts of India. “Active typhoons Mekhala and Higos over the western Pacific disrupt favorable weather,” it added.
