E-Paper
Monsoon delayed over city as trough remains south of Delhi
On Wednesday, the IMD said conditions were favourable for the advance of the monsoon, including to Delhi, over the next 24 hours
There has been very little or scattered rain in Delhi, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast the arrival of monsoon by Tuesday. The monsoon trough remained south of the city, causing the delay, with a cloud cover for four days coinciding with an increase in humid conditions.
On Wednesday, the IMD said conditions were favourable for the advance of the monsoon, including to Delhi, over the next 24 hours. But there were no signs of rain yet, except scattered showers on Wednesday in parts of the city.
Former earth sciences ministry secretary M Rajeevan said IMD models suggest Delhi can experience monsoon onset by June 28 or 29 and cover the whole country by June 30.
Private forecaster Skymet Weather vice president (climate and meteorology) Mahesh Palawat said the monsoon trough was south of Delhi, running from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh to the northwest Bay of Bengal. “It will take another two days for the trough to shift over Delhi, and rainfall will commence soon,” he said. “Conditions are now becoming favourable. A cyclonic circulation in central parts of Uttar Pradesh will help pull the moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal.”
June 27 is the usual time for monsoon arrival in Delhi. Last year, it arrived a day late on June 28. A yellow alert was issued for Wednesday, warning of rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds. But the weather stayed largely dry. Ayanagar and Ridge recorded trace rainfall, Najafgarh got 2mm, and Narela 0.5mm in the 24 hours ending 8.30am on Wednesday. A yellow alert has been issued for Thursday as well. On June 20, IMD said that conditions were favourable for the monsoon to reach Delhi by Tuesday.
