Monsoon reaches Delhi three days ahead of schedule

The southwest monsoon today arrived in the national capital, almost three days ahead of its scheduled date of arrival. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier said monsoon could hit Delhi around June 29.

“The southwest monsoon has hit the capital three days ahead of its normal arrival,” the IMD said. Last year, monsoon had arrived only on July 5 after a delay of a week. But the capital recorded 772.3 mm of rains as compared to normal rains of 645.7 mm.

Overall, across the country, the Met department said southwest monsoon had been almost 11 per cent above normal from June 1 to June 22.

The southwest monsoon, crucial to the country’s agricultural and economic growth, entered the mainland through Kerala on May 29, almost two days ahead of schedule.

The second advanced forecast for 2011 monsoon by IMD had pegged cumulative average rainfall across the country marginally below normal at 95 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).

LPA is the average annual rainfall over the last 50 years at 89 centimetres.

“Though we have pegged rains at slightly below normal, but there is no cause to worry because as per our prediction distribution is expected to fairly even,” IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi told Business Standard in an interview recently.

Going forward, the department said in the coming week, rains would advance to most parts of northwest India, which also includes Delhi. Rains would occur in east, northeast and central parts of the country during the week.

However, some parts of Gujarat and Maharashtra might witness slightly subdued rainfall activity, the department said.