The southwest monsoon usually arrives at the capital on June 27. It missed the date last year as well, arriving 16 days late. The delay is unlikely to be that long this year.
The monsoon’s arrival in Delhi has been delayed, with rains not predicted to begin for another few days after it was initially predicted that it will keep arrive by its usual onset date of June 27.
Showers are expected from Wednesday, and conditions are favorable for monsoon clouds to sweep in over northwest India, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.
“Peak rainfall activity during this upcoming spell is expected on Thursday. We will see light to moderate rainfall over Delhi, whereas on Wednesday, it will be mainly light rainfall,” said RK Jenamani, a scientist at the Met department. “Based on the movement of the monsoon, a date for Delhi can soon be determined.”
The southwest monsoon usually arrives at the capital on June 27. It missed the date last year as well, arriving 16 days late. The delay is unlikely to be that long this year. Although Tuesday is expected to remain hot and humid, light rain is expected the day after and on Thursday. The monsoon will cover most parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir in the next 3-4 days, it said.
Showers from June 29 is likely to bring the monsoon closer to Delhi, said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of meteorology and climate change at Skymet Weather Services, a private forecaster.
Last year, the early advance of the monsoon stalled by the second week of June. It eventually arrived at the capital on July 13, the slowest arrival in 18 years. In 2020, the monsoon hit Delhi two days earlier than normal, reaching the capital on June 25, while in 2019, it reached Delhi on July 5.
The weather department had revised the normal date of the onset of the southwest monsoon for Delhi in 2020 from June 29 to 27. It came a day early in 2018, but was late by three days in both 2017 and 2016.
