The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the southwest monsoon has further advanced into more parts of the country, covering significant areas including the entire Delhi, most parts of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, and some parts of Rajasthan. According to IMD reports, the Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) currently passes through 22°N/60°E, 22°N/65°E, Porbandar, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Neemuch, Tonk, Bhiwani, Bhatinda and 32.5°N/70°E as of July 2. The weather department indicated that conditions remain favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of the North Arabian Sea and Gujarat, the remaining parts of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, and additional parts of Rajasthan over the next two to three days. The monsoon onset over Kerala is officially declared when 60% of the available 14 stations enlisted report rainfall of 2.5 mm or more for two consecutive days after 10th May, with specific criteria including depth of westerlies maintained up to 600 hPa and zonal wind speeds of 15-20 Kts at 925 hPa.
The IMD confirmed that the monsoon has arrived over Delhi on Thursday, compared with its onset date of June 27th. For Sunday, the IMD has forecast a generally cloudy sky with very light to light rain at many places and moderate rainfall at isolated locations, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph, gusting up to 50 kmph, particularly during the night and early morning. The weather is expected to remain humid despite intermittent showers, with the maximum temperature likely to remain between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius while the minimum is likely to hover around 26 to 28 degrees Celsius. The timing of Delhi's monsoon arrival represents an acceleration from the original forecast timeline, indicating improved weather patterns and moisture availability in the region. Rainfall activity is expected to continue over the next few days, with generally cloudy skies and intermittent spells of rain and thunderstorms likely across Delhi-NCR.
Earlier in the day, Delhi and Mumbai witnessed heavy rainfall that lashed the cities since early morning, disrupting traffic and affecting normal life. In Mumbai, train services on Mumbai's Central Railway network were running behind schedule on Thursday morning due to reduced visibility caused by heavy rainfall, according to railway officials. The IMD issued a nowcast red alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts, forecasting moderate to intense spells of rain at isolated places for three hours till 10:45 am. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall across Mumbai and its suburbs, with the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall during the night and into Friday morning, along with occasional gusty winds with speeds of 50-60 kmph. According to the BMC, Mumbai recorded an average rainfall of 172 mm during the 24-hour period between 8 am on July 1 and 8 am on July 2, while eastern suburbs received 189 mm and western suburbs recorded 165 mm. Several parts of Mumbai recorded more than 100 mm of rainfall during the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Saturday.
The IMD has forecast an active monsoon spell over several parts of the country during the coming week, with widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds expected across north, central, east, west and south India. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to continue over several parts of the country during the next few days. In northwest India, heavy rainfall has been forecast over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan, with rainfall activity expected to intensify as the monsoon advances further. Across central India, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall, while eastern India is expected to receive heavy rain over Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. In the Northeast, widespread rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. Meanwhile, west and south India are expected to remain under an active monsoon spell, with heavy to very heavy rainfall forecast over Konkan and Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Maharashtra, Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, and parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The IMD advised people to avoid weak structures and low-lying and waterlogging-prone areas; stay away from trees and electric poles; and remain updated with the latest weather information. The civic body emphasized that the heavy rainfall and wind conditions could create challenging conditions for residents and commuters. The weather department's guidance reflects the potential for significant weather-related disruptions across the affected regions in the coming days. In Mumbai, Thane Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar has ordered a safety survey of dangerous trees across the city following the death of an 11-year-old boy when a peepal tree collapsed on a school bus in Chembur area. The IMD has also warned of isolated spells of extremely heavy rainfall over Konkan and Goa and parts of Gujarat, with thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds over large parts of the country, including northwest, central, eastern and southern India.
