Monsoon in Delhi unlikely before seven to ten days, says IMD

NEW DELHI:  A westerly trough has impeded the rapid progress of the monsoon in northwest India and it will take seven to 10 more days for the wind system to reach Delhi, the India Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.

“Due to the adverse influence of mid-latitude westerlies, a hiatus in further advance of Southwest Monsoon into remaining parts of northwest India. The situation is being monitored continuously and will be updated daily,” Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre said.

“The delay may be for 7-10 days. The situation will be more clear tomorrow,” he added.

The weather department had earlier predicted that the wind system may reach Delhi by June 15 12 days early. Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8.

However, light rainfall is predicted in the capital on Tuesday and Wednesday. Last year, the wind system had reached Delhi on June 25 and covered the entire country by June 29. 

“Onset over Delhi seems to be deferred, possibly for more than a week. Environmental conditions need realignment to fulfill essential changes with the arrival of monsoon currents. The likely monsoon onset date of 15th June for Delhi as assessed before will possibly shift around its normal date of 27th June or later,” private weather forecasting agency Skymet said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 38.7 degree Celsius, a notch below the season’s normal, the Meteorological department said.

According to the MeT department, the minimum temperature settled at 27.2 degrees Celsius, which is also a notch below the season’s normal.