Monsoon reaches north India, likely to hit Delhi in next 24-48 hours

Rain and thundershowers were observed at most places over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, east Rajasthan and east Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

New Delhi: Monsoon has reached few parts of North India, including east Rajasthan and West Uttar Pradesh and is likely to hit Delhi in the next 24-48 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday night.

Rain and thundershowers were observed at most places over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, East Rajasthan, east Uttar Pradesh, the IMD said. However, it is yet to declare the onset of monsoon over Delhi.

"Several parts of north India have been witnessing pre-monsoon showers. The northern limit of monsoon passes through Veraval, Amreli, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Aligarh (west Uttar Pradesh), Tehri (Uttarakhand), and Amritsar (Punjab). It is expected to hit Delhi in the next 24-48 hours," said IMD's Additional Director General Mritunjay Mohaptara.

The normal onset date for the monsoon over Delhi is June 29.

The monsoon, which was sluggish until last week, has revived and several parts of the country have been receiving rainfall. However, the overall monsoon deficiency across the country still stands at around minus 10 per cent.

"Southwest monsoon further advanced into some more parts of Gujarat region, some parts of East Rajasthan, remaining parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand, entire Madhya Pradesh, east Uttar Pradesh; most parts of West Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, entire Jammu & Kashmir and some parts of Punjab," the Met department said in its daily monsoon report.

Conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into remaining parts of Rajasthan, west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and entire Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during next 48 hours, it added.