The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that the southwest monsoon over the country is likely to be normal in July.
"Monthly rainfall for July 2021 over the country as a whole is most likely to be normal (94 to 106% of Long Period Average)," the IMD said.
In the forecast for this month, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said rainfall is not expected to be good in the first week, but it is likely to pick up in the second half of the second week of July.
The weather bureau will issue the forecast for the rainfall during the second half of the season towards the end of July or the beginning of August.
Meanwhile, Northern India is unlikely to get any relief from the sweltering heat as the heatwave conditions are likely over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, north Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the next two days.
The MeT department said that heatwave to severe heatwave conditions were observed in isolated places over Jammu on Wednesday.
The weather office added that heatwave conditions were recorded in most places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, northwest Rajasthan and northwest Madhya Pradesh, with severe heatwave conditions at isolated areas in the region.
Severe heatwave conditions were observed at isolated places over northeast Rajasthan as well, it said.
"Due to likely dry westerly/southwesterly winds from Pakistan to northwest India at lower levels, heatwave conditions in isolated/some pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, north Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and northwest Madhya Pradesh (are likely) during next two days," the IMD said.
Temperatures across the plains have crossed 40 degrees Celsius in the last few days.
The southwest monsoon has covered the entire country but has eluded Haryana, Delhi, parts of Punjab, west Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh.
With agency inputs
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