Monsoon set to hit Delhi tomorrow, IMD issues 'yellow' alert for rain

After the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday forecasted the onset of southwest monsoon in Delhi and neighbourhood areas during the next two days, it has also issued a yellow alert for Monday and Tuesday, predicting light to moderate rain. Meanwhile, pleasant weather conditions helped the national capital to retain a “satisfactory” air quality for a fifth consecutive day.

As per the Indian Express report, the IMD said, ” Conditions are favourable for the further advance of the southwest monsoon into more parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, some parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and cover the rest of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu in the next two days.”

IMD confirmed that monsoon has advanced to North India, covering most parts of Himachal Pradesh, entire Ladakh and Kashmir, and also mostly Jammu as well as some parts of Punjab. The monsoon will arrive in the city by Tuesday, three days before the normal scheduled date of June 27. Last year, the monsoon has arrived on June 28 and in 2023, the onset was on June 25 in Delhi, according to a report in HT.

Despite cloudy skies on Sunday, Delhi did not receive any rainfall until the evening. The maximum temperature of the day settled at 36.2°C, which was two degrees below normal and lower than Saturday’s 37.3°C.

Humidity levels remained elevated, fluctuating between 65 per cent and 83 per cent, which led to significant thermal discomfort. According to IMD data, Delhi's heat index — the “real feel” temperature — reached 47.5°C at 5:30 pm, primarily due to a relative humidity of 70 per cent at that time.

Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) is ‘satisfactory’

The heat index combines air temperature and humidity to reflect how hot it feels to humans. Delhi’s wet-bulb temperature, another key thermal discomfort metric, recorded 29.51°C. Readings above 32°C can severely limit the body’s ability to cool itself, while 35°C is seen as the upper threshold for human survival.

The minimum temperature on Sunday stood at 28.4°C. For Monday, the IMD predicts slightly cooler conditions with a maximum between 33-35°C and a minimum of 26-28°C.

Meanwhile, intermittent rain in recent days has helped settle pollutants in the city. Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was 92 (satisfactory) at 4 pm on Sunday, a slight increase from Saturday’s AQI of 85.