Monsoon updates: SW Monsoon reaches North India, likely to hit Delhi in next 24 hours

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains and possible thunderstorm activity for the northwestern parts of India in the next 24 hours. The weather body also said the conditions are favourable for the advancement of Southwest monsoon.

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

"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.

Meanwhile, incessant rains in Mumbai since Monday have brought the city to a standstill due to water-logging in many parts even as loss of lives and property has been reported from the city. The Santacruz observatory reportedly recorded a rainfall of 231.4 mm, for the first time this year.

Kolkata also experienced heavy rains and waterlogging on Tuesday, with the Met department forecasting more rains in the state over the next two days.

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.

Of the four meteorological divisions of the country, only the southern peninsula has recorded 29 per cent more rains.

The rainfall deficit was 29 and 24 per cent in east-northeast and northwest India respectively.

Of the 36 meteorological sub-divisions in the country, 24 subdivisions have received "deficient" and "largely deficient rainfall".

This means, less than 25 per cent of the country has received "normal" or "excess" rainfall.

According to the IMD, India is likely to receive a "better monsoon" than it did in 2017, with the entire country expected to see "normal rainfall" between 96 to 104 percent from June to September, officials said.

The southwest monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 29, three days ahead of schedule. It had advanced over eastern parts of the country on Tuesday last week before the hiatus. Weather officials said the break in monsoon's continuity, which would be 10-12 days, is a normal phenomenon.