After 62 years, monsoon hits Delhi, Mumbai together; rains bring respite in Andhra, Telangana

New Delhi: For the first time since 1961, the monsoon covered both Delhi and Mumbai together.

While monsoon hit the national capital two days before schedule, it entered the financial capital two weeks late, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

"It is the first time since June 21, 1961, that the monsoon arrived in Delhi and Mumbai at the same time," said DS Pai, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Vigorous monsoon

Met office termed the monsoon activity over Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi as 'vigorous'.

According to the IMD, monsoon activity is considered 'vigorous' if the recorded rainfall is more than four times the normal or it is fairly widespread or widespread. In Mumbai, the Colaba Observatory, representative of the island city, recorded 86 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Sunday while the Santacruz weather station, representative of the suburbs, registered 176.1 mm in the same period, according to the IMD.

"The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, some parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana, the remaining parts of Uttarakhand and most parts of Himachal Pradesh, and some more parts of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh on June 25," the IMD said in a statement.

The northern limit of the monsoon has now passed through Veraval, Baroda, Udaipur, Narnaul, Ambala, and Katra.

Conditions are favorable for further advance of the monsoon into some more parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and the remaining parts of Jammu and Kashmir during the next two days, the IMD said in a noon update.

Normally, the monsoon reaches Kerala by June 1, Mumbai by June 11, and the national capital by June 27. The trajectory that the monsoon followed this year is unusual.

While it covered a significant portion of north India, including Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and a large part of Jammu and Kashmir, on schedule or slightly ahead, it is running two weeks behind schedule for a considerable part of central India, where a significant number of farmers heavily rely on it.

Pai explained that Cyclone Biparjoy had impacted the monsoon's progress over southern India and the adjoining western and central parts of the country. He said, "Since the system absorbed most of the moisture, the monsoon's progress along the west coast was slow."

However, the Bay of Bengal branch of the monsoon, responsible for bringing rain to the northeast and east India, remained stronger between June 11 and June 23.

Pai attributed this to a low-pressure system that formed over the Bay of Bengal in mid-June and the remnants of Cyclone Biparjoy, which aided the monsoon's advancement over east India.

Pai noted that the Arabian Sea branch of the monsoon is now gaining strength with a low-pressure system developing over the Bay of Bengal.

He said that it represents a new pulse of the monsoon and added that rapid progress is expected.

According to IMD data, the monsoon reached the national capital on June 30 last year, July 13 in 2021, June 25 in 2020, July 5 in 2019, and June 28 in 2018.

It hit Mumbai on June 11 last year, June 9 in 2021, June 14 in 2020, and June 25 in 2019.

Monsoon covers entire AP

The southwest monsoon covered the entire Andhra Pradesh, after its onset on June 11. It arrived a week after its usual date of arrival.

Last year, the monsoon arrived in AP on June 13, and it covered the entire state on June 20. In 2021, the monsoon arrived on June 5 and it took over seven days to spread across the state. AP recorded a total of 575.6 mm of rainfall between June 1 and September 30 in 2022, which was about 10 percent more than the normal 514 mm.

This year, AP is set to receive normal rainfall this monsoon. While the state received deficient showers in June, it is most likely to witness heavy rains from June 26.

Rains arrive early in Telangana

Monsoon covered Telangana on June 21 due to the early formation of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal.

Rains in the city have considerably subsided the heat wave conditions. Hyderabad recorded 36 degree Celsius temperature during the day and 26.1 degree C at night.

IMD forecast that the monsoon will remain highly active. It is expected to have normal rains this season.

El Nino conditions

IMD previously stated that India is expected to receive normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season despite the evolving El Nino conditions.

El Nino, which is the warming of the waters in the Pacific Ocean near South America, is generally associated with the weakening of monsoon winds and dry weather in India.

The IMD's prediction of a 'normal' monsoon, however, doesn't mean that each part of the country will log good rainfall during the season.

It essentially means that the total rainfall will be within the normal limits though there could be excess precipitation at some places and deficient in others.

Northwest India is predicted to experience normal to below-normal rainfall while the east, northeast, central and south peninsula regions are expected to receive normal rainfall at 94-106 percent of the long-period average.

According to the IMD, rainfall between 96 and 104 percent of the 50-year average of 87 cm is considered 'normal'. Rainfall below 90 percent is categorized as 'deficient', between 90 and 95 percent is 'below normal', between 105 and 110 percent is 'above normal' and anything above 100 percent is classified as 'excess' precipitation.

Normal rainfall is critical for India's agricultural landscape, with 52 percent of the net cultivated area relying on it. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in replenishing reservoirs essential for drinking water and power generation throughout the country.

Rainfed agriculture accounts for approximately 40 percent of the country's total food production, making it a vital contributor to India's food security and economic stability.

Inputs from PTI