Monsoon declared over Delhi, rest of India: IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Delhi for Sunday, forecasting that light to moderate showers

New Delhi: With light to moderate rainfall recorded across the remaining parts of Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officially declared the onset of the southwest monsoon in the country—nine days ahead of its normal date of July 8.

The IMD said that the onset of monsoon over Delhi was delayed by two days from its normal date of June 27 (HT Photo/ Representative photo)

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Delhi for Sunday, forecasting that light to moderate showers will continue. It noted that the onset of monsoon over Delhi was delayed by two days from its normal date of June 27

“The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Rajasthan, West Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, and the entire Delhi region today. Thus, it covered the entire country on June 29, against the normal date of July 8,” a statement issued by the IMD said.

Last year, the southwest monsoon covered the entire country by July 2—six days ahead of its normal schedule. This year, the monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 24, a week earlier than usual, and reached Mumbai on May 26, nearly two weeks ahead of the typical onset date of June 11.

However, a ‘break’ in monsoon activity was observed in the first week of June, before it resumed progression from June 12 onwards, according to the IMD.

The IMD initially forecast the monsoon’s arrival in Delhi by June 24 but missed the mark with repeated revisions. On June 20, it predicted arrival by June 24. On June 24, it stated that onset was likely within 36 hours, and by June 25, that forecast shifted to 24 hours. On June 26, the IMD said conditions were favourable for the monsoon to cover the entire country within 3–4 days—without specifying a date for Delhi.

On Saturday, rainfall was reported in western Uttar Pradesh, including short but intense spells in Noida and Ghaziabad. Gurugram also recorded afternoon showers, while rainfall in Delhi was mostly limited to southwest, southern, and eastern parts of the city. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded only ‘trace’ rainfall** throughout the day.

The IMD said this was the earliest monsoon onset across the entire country since 2020, when it occurred on June 26. The monsoon also covered the country early on June 26 in 2015 and as early as June 16 in 2013.