Rains lash parts of Delhi as IMD issues yellow alert; monsoon to advance in UP in next 2-3 days

Rainfall lashed parts of Delhi on Wednesday evening, bringing relief from the scorching weather during the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier issued a yellow alert for the city, predicting light rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning.

The temperature in Delhi hovered around 39 degrees Celsius, as of 5:30 pm.

Delhi has received 39.6 mm of rainfall so far this month against the normal of 48.3 mm, recording a deficit of 8.7 mm or 18 per cent below the long-period average, according to IMD data.

The capital witnessed contrasting rainfall trends during the pre-monsoon season. In April, Delhi recorded 30 mm of rainfall against the normal of 16.3 mm, an excess of about 84 per cent, due to pre-monsoon rains, PTI reported.

However, rainfall fell below normal in May, with 17.6 mm recorded against the long-period average of 30.7 mm, a deficit of around 43 per cent.

The pattern was markedly different last year, as Delhi received only 0.7 mm of rainfall in April 2025 against the normal of 16.3 mm, a deficit of about 96 per cent.

Monsoon Update

Monsoon is likely to reach Delhi during the first week of July rather than June 27, which is the expected onset, Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet Weather, told PTI.

The IMD also said that conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of North Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand & Bihar, some parts of Uttar Pradesh during the next 2-3 days; some more parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Uttarakhand during the subsequent 2-3 days.

On June 24, 2026, the Southwest Monsoon advanced into some parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the remaining parts of Maharashtra, and some more parts of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the IMD said.

The data show that, except for 2021, the southwest monsoon has generally reached Delhi between June 25 and June 30 over the last five years. "Monsoon generally reaches Delhi by around June 28, but this year it will be delayed. We do not know exactly when it will reach," an IMD official told PTI.

According to IMD data, the southwest monsoon reached Delhi on June 25 in 2020 and covered the entire country a day later on June 26. In 2021, the monsoon's advance over Delhi was delayed until July 13, the same day it covered the entire country.

The monsoon arrived in Delhi on June 30, 2022 and covered the whole country by July 2. In 2023, it reached the national capital on June 25 and completed its advance over the country on July 2. In 2024, the monsoon advanced over Delhi on June 28, while the entire country came under its coverage on July 2.

Last year, the monsoon reached Delhi on June 29 and simultaneously covered the entire country on the same day.

Mumbai weather

Earlier, SkyMet predicted that in the next four to six hours, a “few spells of rain and thundershowers with strong winds and moderate lightning” are likely to occur over parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur and adjoining districts.

The weather forecast agency also forecast on Wednesday that intermittent spells of moderate to heavy rain and thundershowers with strong winds are likely to continue across Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban over the next 12–18 hours.

Why is monsoon progress slowing down?

The southwest monsoon this year is prolonging by each day.

SkyMet explained that no major monsoon system has formed over the Bay of Bengal yet, keeping monsoon advancement sluggish across many parts of India. “Active typhoons Mekkhala and Higos over the western Pacific are disrupting favourable weather patterns,” it added.