IMD: Heavy rains expected in several parts of north India today

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places are expected over several parts of north India including Delhi by Monday morning, but there was little relief from the unforgiving heat throughout the day as the Southwest Monsoon has not still reached the remaining parts of the region.

The IMD had said the Southwest Monsoon would hit parts of north India including Delhi on July 10, but it had not occurred till Sunday evening.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the conditions are ripe for the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon over Delhi as humidity has also increased due to easterlies. He said the formation of a low-pressure area will also boost its advancement. "We are expecting light rainfall on Sunday and a good spell on Monday," he said.

The IMD said, "Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, the Gujarat region, Madhya Maharashtra, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Telangana, coastal and south interior Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal." It has also issued alerts for several north Indian states and a red warning for coastal Maharashtra.

Wrong signals by models, difficulty in predicting the outcomes of the interactions between the easterly and westerly winds were some of the major reasons behind the India Meteorological Department's monsoon forecast for parts of north India going haywire, experts pointed out as any relief from the oppressive heat eludes the region.

The Southwest Monsoon has reached almost all parts of the country but has stayed away from parts of north India. It is yet to reach Delhi, Haryana, parts of west Uttar Pradesh and west Rajasthan.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted that monsoon is expected to cover these parts by June -- a little less than a month back, but its predictions are yet to come true.

In its forecast on June 13, the IMD had predicted that the Southwest Monsoon will reach Delhi by June 15. However, a day later it said conditions are not favourable for its further advancement in this region.

Then began a long 'break-spell' during which the Southwest Monsoon was weak over several parts of the country.

The bulletin also indicated that heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, west Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Saurashtra and Kutch, Marathwada, Rayalaseema, north interior Karnataka and Lakshadweep.

It said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (with a speed of 30-40 kilometres per hour) are very likely at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Telangana.

Lightning at isolated places is also expected over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal by Monday morning, the IMD added.