Monsoon hits Delhi, Mumbai on same day for first time in 62 years

Safdarjung, representational of Delhi’s weather, recorded 48.3mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period till 8:30am on Sunday

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday declared the onset of the southwest monsoon over Mumbai and Delhi.

The last time both cities were hit by monsoon at the same time was on June 21, 1961. (Representative Photo)

“Southwest monsoon has advanced over Mumbai and Delhi today, 25th June 2023,” said the IMD in a statement on Sunday morning, adding that detailed coverage of the monsoon and its progress will be revealed later in the day.

While the monsoon was delayed by 14 days in Mumbai, it arrived two days early in Delhi. The normal date for monsoon onset (1961-2019) over Mumbai is June 11, and for Delhi, it is June 27. However, this has made it a highly unusual monsoon year where both cities recorded an onset simultaneously.

The last time both cities were hit by monsoon at the same time was on June 21, 1961.

Safdarjung, representational of Delhi’s weather, recorded 48.3mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period till 8:30am on Sunday – most of it being recorded in the early hours of the day.

Amid the continued rainfall, the weather department has declared an orange alert for the remainder of the day, with more rain in store. A similar orange alert is in place for Monday too, with the IMD forecasting light to moderate showers at most places, officials said.

Among other stations, Lodhi road received 59.6mm of rainfall till 8:30 am, Ayanagar 54mm, Ridge 27.4mm and Palam 29.6mm.

Till 8:30am on Sunday, Delhi recorded 71.4mm of rainfall so far this month. The long-period average (LPA) for Delhi for June is 74.1mm, which is likely to cross in the coming days.

The IMD classifies it as ‘very light’ rainfall when it is between ‘trace’ and 2.4mm in a 24-hour period. ‘Light’ rainfall between 2.5mm and 15.5mm; ‘moderate’ between 15.6mm and 64.4mm and ‘heavy’ rainfall when over 64.4mm is recorded in a single day. Forecasts show light showers on Tuesday and Wednesday too, some rain activity will continue in Delhi till Friday, making it a wet end to the month.

Last year, the onset was declared over Delhi on June 30. In 2021, the monsoon reached Delhi 16 days late on July 13 – its slowest onset since 2002.

This is the earliest arrival of the southwest monsoon in Delhi since 2020 and 2015, when it arrived on the same date – June 25. The last time it arrived earlier than this was in 2013 when it reached Delhi on June 16.

The rain also meant Delhi’s minimum was recorded at 23.1°C – five degrees below normal. It was 30.4°C a day earlier. Delhi’s maximum on Saturday was 37.4°C, while Sunday’s forecast shows it is likely to hover around 32°C.

In terms of air quality, Delhi’s air was recorded in the moderate range. The average air quality index (AQI) stood at 162 (moderate) at 10am on Sunday – a slight improvement from a reading of 169 (moderate) at 4pm on Saturday. The AQI is forecast to touch the satisfactory range by Monday, dipping below 100.

The IMD, in its monsoon bulletin on Saturday had said that conditions were favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon over most parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, remaining parts of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, some more parts of Haryana including Chandigarh and Delhi, some parts of Gujarat, East Rajasthan and Punjab during the next 48 hours.