Monsoon to cover entire country by July 6, says IMD
As the southwest monsoon hit Delhi-NCR, some parts of Punjab, Chandigarh, and Haryana on Thursday bringing much-needed relief from the sweltering heat, the India Meteorological Department said that the monsoon will cover the entire stretch of the country by Wednesday. It said the seasonal rains also advanced into entire Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and parts of Rajasthan.
The weather department said that the northern limit of monsoon is passing through Deesa, Ratlam, Jaipur, Rohtak, Pathankot, and Jammu. Furthermore, conditions are favorable for further advancement into more parts of Rajasthan, entire Punjab, and Haryana by Friday, the IMD added. An east-west trough at lower tropospheric levels and winds from the Arabian Sea were also over north India bringing rains.
Despite the huge disparity in the distribution of rainfall, with the northeast receiving excess and dry in the northwest, as a whole, the country registered 'normal' rainfall in June, IMD said. India totaled 152.3 mm rainfall as against the normal of 165.3 mm registering a deficit of -8%. In IMD parlance, a departure of +/-19% is considered as 'normal' rainfall.
Despite the slow progress, the southwest monsoon covered most parts of the country till Thursday, except large parts of Rajasthan and some parts of Punjab and Haryana. Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu, and Ladakh recorded deficits in precipitation.
Meanwhile, Delhiites woke up to a pleasant and cool Friday morning with the minimum temperature settling at 23 degree Celsius, seven notches below normal, while a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain is predicted. The maximum temperature in the city is expected to settle at 32 degree Celsius, IMD said. It also predicted light to moderate rain over Delhi, parts of Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Public transport, including train and bus services in Mumbai, was badly affected on Thursday evening due to the first heavy downpour of the season, civic officials said. Local train services were also hit due to waterlogging on tracks, especially between Kurla to Parel section. Waterlogging was witnessed in several low-lying areas such as Hindmata, Parel, Kalachowki, Haji Ali, Dockyard Road, Gandhi Market, and Bandra.
