Weather update: IMD predicts rainfall in THESE states over next 5 days, temperature to drop in Delhi

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that intense convection over large parts of east India, NE India Odisha, Tamil Nadu, among other places, late on Tuesday (June 14) night may help in the further advancement of the Southwest Monsoon. "There is intense convection over parts of east India - Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining areas of Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh - apart from northeast India, south Madhya Pradesh and its neighbourhood, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu," said a senior IMD meteorologist.

Large parts of NE India, especially Assam and Meghalaya, are already receiving very heavy rainfall and would continue for the next five days. The IMD has also predicted that rainfall activity is likely to increase gradually over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Gangetic West Bengal with fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with thunderstorm/ lightning/gusty winds during the next 4-5 days.

In the western part of India, Monsoon has arrived in Gujarat and light to moderate rains are likely across the state in the next few days, the IMD said. Participating in a meeting of the Weather Watch Group, chaired by Director of Relief, CC Patel at Gandhinagar, IMD official M. Mohanty said there is the possibility of 96 to 104 per cent rainfall during the entire monsoon.

In Rajasthan, Director of Jaipur Meteorological Center said that light to moderate rain activities at isolated places will continue over east Rajasthan for the next three-four days. From June 17 to 19, there is a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder lightning in Bikaner division, he added. 

Meanwhile, in the capital Delhi, thanks to a cloud cover, the maximum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, the city's base station, droped below 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this month, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday (June 14). The observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 39.6 degrees Celsius as against 43.7 degrees Celsius on Monday. The minimum temperature settled at 31.2 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal. 

The IMD has issued a yellow alert, warning of thundershowers or light rain over the next six days. The mercury is predicted to drop to 35 degrees Celsius by Sunday. Since June 1, when the monsoon season starts, the capital has not recorded any rainfall. Usually, it receives 13.8 mm of rainfall in the first 13 days of the month. Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (climate change and meteorology), Skymet Weather said the monsoon is expected to arrive in Delhi around the usual date -- June 27 -- or a day or two in advance.