NEW DELHI: Conditions are favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into several northern states over the next five to six days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday. The update comes as Delhi recorded its warmest morning in two years amid a delay in the arrival of the seasonal rains, according to news agency PTI.According to the IMD, the monsoon is likely to advance into more parts of the North Arabian Sea and several areas of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the next two to three days. During the subsequent two to three days, it is expected to cover additional parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and southeast Rajasthan.The weather department, however, warned that heatwave conditions, possibly severe, may prevail in parts of Uttar Pradesh on July 28 and 29.Weather forecasting agency Skymet said Delhi could witness the onset of the monsoon around July 4 if conditions remain favourable.Meanwhile, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 31.1 degrees Celsius, 3.2 degrees above the seasonal average, while the maximum temperature reached 41.8 degrees Celsius. The last time the city recorded a higher minimum temperature was on June 14, 2024, when it stood at 33.3 degrees Celsius.The IMD said a heatwave was realised over Delhi, with the “feels-like” temperature touching around 50.7 degrees Celsius at 5.30 pm. For Monday, the department has forecast thunderstorms accompanied by rain.Skymet attributed the unusual weather conditions to the delayed onset of the monsoon and the interaction between dry and moist winds.“Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi around June 27-28, after which temperatures begin to ease and humidity increases. This year, however, the monsoon is likely to be delayed by about a week. Dry westerly winds from Pakistan are keeping temperatures high, while southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea are also reaching Delhi and increasing humidity,” Mahesh Palawat, Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet, said.“When these dry and moist air masses interact, clouds do form, but there is not enough moisture for widespread rainfall. By the time cloud formation takes place, usually around 4 or 5 pm, the day’s maximum temperature has already been recorded. That is why both the maximum temperature and the ‘feels-like’ temperature have remained unusually high,” he said.In Himachal Pradesh, the meteorological centre in Shimla predicted a wet spell until July 4, with a fresh western disturbance likely to affect northwest India from July 2 onwards.An alert has been issued for thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph at isolated places across the state between June 30 and July 4. Light rain was reported in parts of the state during the past 24 hours, while districts including Shimla, Kangra and Mandi witnessed thunderstorms.In Uttar Pradesh, Prayagraj recorded a maximum temperature of 43.4 degrees Celsius, while Lucknow registered 39.7 degrees Celsius, which was 3.6 degrees above normal. The meteorological department said isolated areas of the state are likely to experience heatwave conditions over the next 24 hours. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are also expected at isolated places in eastern Uttar Pradesh.In Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius, 3.8 degrees above normal, and a minimum of 19.7 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal. Jammu registered a maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 22.5 degrees Celsius.The weather office forecast pre-monsoon showers over the Jammu plains and adjoining areas on June 29, along with intense spells of rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds at a few places.In Uttarakhand, where temperatures have remained significantly above normal in several areas, the Dehradun Meteorological Centre issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, intense to very intense rainfall spells and gusty winds in isolated hilly districts.Dehradun recorded a maximum temperature of 37.1 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 26.8 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal.For Punjab and Haryana, the IMD has predicted scattered rainfall on June 29 and July 1-2. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph, gusting up to 60 kmph, are also likely between July 1 and 4.In Rajasthan, humid conditions persisted across large parts of the state, though scattered rainfall was reported in several districts. Pilani in Jhunjhunu district recorded 7 mm of rainfall since morning.The meteorological department has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms in parts of the Kota and Udaipur divisions over the coming days. Rainfall activity is also expected to increase across southeastern and eastern Rajasthan from July 2.
