Heatwave sweeps through north India; Monsoon to elude Delhi, neighbourhood for a week

New Delhi, July 02: Amid blistering heat in north India, a number of places in the Himalayan region are experiencing high temperatures with the mercury in Thoise in Ladakh's Nubra Valley and Solan hill station in Himachal Pradesh soaring to 31 degrees Celsius and 35.5 degrees Celsius respectively.

The IMD has issued a heatwave alert for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, north Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and northwest Madhya Pradesh over the next two days.

Meanwhile, there is no chance of Delhi and its neighbouring areas receiving monsoon rains till July 7 and after that, the region will witness below-normal rainfall till the middle of this month, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday.

The last time monsoon arrived so late in Delhi was in 2012. The weather department said the delay in the arrival of the wind system is likely to impact agricultural operations such as sowing and transplantation of crops, irrigation scheduling and power requirements in the region, including Punjab and Haryana - the food bowl of the country.

"Heatwave conditions are very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and some parts of Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan and northwest Madhya Pradesh till July 2," the MeT office said.

The intensity of the heatwave and its area coverage are likely to decrease thereafter due to expected south-westerly winds from the Arabian Sea. But there won't be much relief during the next seven days due to the increase in humidity, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.

"The monsoon has covered most of the country except parts of Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Since June 19, no progress has been observed. Mid-latitude westerly winds, unfavourable Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and absence of a low-pressure system over North Bay of Bengal are some of the reasons," the IMD said.

"There is no chance of the monsoon covering Delhi-NCR and other parts of northwest India till July 7, and below-normal to normal rainfall is likely in northwest India this month," Mohapatra said.

It is likely to impact agricultural operations such as sowing and transplantation of crops, irrigation scheduling and power requirements. However, the normal transplanting window for rice as well as the sowing of other major crops is the month of July in northwest India and central India, he said.

According to the IMD, Northwest India has received 14 per cent excess rainfall - 85.7 mm rainfall against the normal of 75.3mm since June 1, when the monsoon season starts. Delhi has received just 29.6mm rainfall against the normal of 64.1 mm during the period - a deficiency of 54 per cent.

The meteorological office had earlier predicted that the wind system may reach Delhi by June 15, which would have been 12 days early. Normally, monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8. Last year, the wind system had reached Delhi on June 25 and covered the entire country by June 29.