Delhi can expect first showers of monsoon season in next two days: IMD

Delhi can expect its first showers of the monsoon season in the next two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

After a sluggish start, the monsoon has progressed swiftly and has covered many parts of Maharashtra, entire Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, northeast India, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, most parts of Himachal Pradesh and some parts of Haryana, an IMD official said.

Normally, the rain-bearing system reaches the capital by June 27.

"Conditions are favourable for the further advance of the monsoon over most parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, more parts of Haryana, including Chandigarh, Delhi, some parts of Gujarat, east Rajasthan and Punjab, during next two days," the IMD said.

The monsoon embraced the capital on June 30 last year, July 13 in 2021, June 25 in 2020, July 5 in 2019 and June 28 in 2018, according to IMD data.

This year, the monsoon reached Kerala on June 8, a week after its usual date of June 1. It arrived in the southern state on May 29 last year, June 3 in 2021, June 1 in 2020, June 8 in 2019 and May 29 in 2018.

Research shows a delay in the monsoon onset over Kerala does not necessarily mean a delay in the monsoon onset over northwest India. Also, it does not impact the total rainfall over the country during the season.

India is expected to get normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season despite the evolving El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier said.

Northwest India is expected to see normal to below-normal rainfall. East and northeast, central, and south peninsula are expected to receive normal rainfall at 94-106 per cent of the long-period average of 87 centimetres.

According to the IMD, rainfall between 96 and 104 per cent of a 50-year average of 87 cm is considered 'normal'.

Rainfall less than 90 per cent of the long-period average is considered 'deficient', between 90 per cent and 95 per cent is 'below normal', between 105 per cent and 110 per cent is 'above normal' and more than 100 per cent is 'excess' precipitation.