Rain relief for Delhi-NCR, temperature dips below 30 degrees; check IMD's monsoon prediction for your city here

New Delhi: Rain lashed Delhi and parts of NCR, bringing relief from heat and intense humidity. The temperature dropped to 29.2 Celsius. The India Meteorological Department has predicted that on Thursday, weather conditions are favourable for further advance of monsoon in several parts of India. "Conditions are favourable for further advance of monsoon into remaining parts of the Arabian Sea and Gujarat, some parts of Rajasthan, remaining parts of Madhya Pradesh, entire Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh and some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, some parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, entire Delhi during next 24," IMD said.

IMD further predicted that rainfall with thunderstorms/lightning with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur over West Madhya Pradesh from June 30 to July 2 and in east Madhya Pradesh from June 30 to July 1. "Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely over West Madhya Pradesh during 30th June-02nd July; East Madhya Pradesh on 30th June & 01st July and isolated heavy rainfall over Chhattisgarh during 30th June-02nd July; 2022," IMD said.

According to IMD prediction, "Isolated heavy rainfall likely over Odisha from June 30 to July 4, Jharkhand on June 30; Bihar from June 30 to July 2. Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on June 30. Earlier on June 18, the weather turned pleasant in Delhi after the national capital received rainfall. 

Last year, the IMD had forecast that the monsoon would arrive in Delhi nearly two weeks before its usual date. However, it reached the capital only on July 13, making it the most delayed in 19 years. Asked about the delay in the arrival of the monsoon in Delhi, the senior scientist said a gap of around five days is considered normal. "However, we did not see any major weather system developing in the Bay of Bengal (which could have pushed the monsoon forward). This year, it has mainly been a wind-driven monsoon," senior IMD scientist RK Jenamani said. According to IMD data, the monsoon covered Delhi 29 times in June and 33 times in July in the last 62 years.