Monsoon Covers Entire India 9 Days Early: IMD Issues Rain Alerts Across Multiple States

In a major relief from the summer heat, the southwest monsoon officially arrived in Delhi on Sunday, June 29. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon has now covered the entire country, marking its earliest complete coverage since 2020.

"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," according to an IMD post on X.

This year, the monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 24, and after a temporary pause, resumed rapid progress across India from mid-June. The early spread was helped by strong low-pressure systems over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

Weather Turns Pleasant in Delhi:

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 26.8°C on Sunday-1.1°C below the season's average. Light to moderate showers were observed across several parts of Delhi-NCR, including Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram, making the weather noticeably cooler and more pleasant.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Delhi, expecting continued rainfall and thunderstorms.

Red and Orange Alerts:

The IMD has issued a red alert for Bihar, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand for July 29 and July 30. While west Bengal, Punjab and Haryana, Uttar Pradesh has been issue an orange alert.

IMD Predicts Rain Across India:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in many parts of the country from June 29 to July 5. Jharkhand and Odisha are likely to receive the heaviest rain, with isolated areas expecting extremely heavy showers.

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Madhya Maharashtra, Konkan & Goa, and West Uttar Pradesh are also set to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places.

Moderate to heavy showers are expected in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, Marathwada, and the northeastern states with Thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 km/h).

Southern states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. will see scattered rain with strong winds (40-50 km/h) for the next week. They will also see consistent monsoon showers. The IMD has warned of possible hazards such as lightning, landslides, flash floods, and hailstorms in both hilly and plain regions.

In the north, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh are under yellow to orange alerts. The IMD has forecast thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in many of these regions until early July. Rain is also expected in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Chandigarh during this period.

However, "hot and humid weather is expected in Assam plains, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam from June 29 to July 1", said IMD in its report.