Monsoon arrives in Delhi; set to spur kharif planting, says IMD

After a few days’ delay, the southwest monsoon has reached Delhi, along with a few other regions of North and Central India, covering almost 80 per cent of the country and bringing cumulative rain in June to near normal.

A revival in the rains, particularly over the main pulses- and oilseeds-growing regions of North, Central and West India, should spur planting kharif crops, which, till June 24, was almost 24 per cent less than in the same period last year.

The delay in the onset of the rains has started pushing up the prices of select varieties of pulses because farmers fear a drop in final output.

According to the latest IMD data, after Thursday’s rain, India has received 152.3 mm between June 1 and June 30. That is 8 per cent less than normal.

In this, East and North India received 22 per cent above average rain in June while all other regions of the country received below average (see chart).

“Not only has the monsoon revived strongly, in the next seven days almost all parts of the country except interior Karnataka, Rayalseema, Tamil Nadu, and west Rajasthan will receive good rain. This should help in wiping off the seasonal deficit in the next 10 days,” Mahesh Palawat, vice-president, meteorology and climate change, Skymet, told Business Standard.

Palawat said in July and August, indications were the monsoon might remain good because La Nina conditions were expected to prevail till the end of August while the impact of a negative IOD (Indian Ocean Dipole) was expected to be less.

July and August are the two most critical months in the four-month southwest monsoon season. The amount of rain is maximum in these months.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, the Safdarjung observatory, the city’s base station, recorded 110 mm of rainfall in just six hours, starting at 8:30 am, which is the maximum on a day in June in at least 14 years.

Delhi had 235.5 mm of rain on June 18, 1936, which is a record.

On average, Delhi logs 65.5 mm of rain in June.

The India Meteorological Department said the southwest monsoon advanced into Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmiri, some parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan on June 30.

“The northern limit of the monsoon now passes through Deesa, Ratlam, Tonk, Sikar, Rohtak, and Pathankot,” it said.

The southwest monsoon reaches Delhi usually on June 27 and covers the country by July 8.

The showers, however, brought the familiar sight of snaking lines of vehicles stuck on waterlogged roads. Commuters reported late for office and people posted their plight through videos and photographs on social media, seeking help from the police.

The IMD has said there will be moderate rain on Friday. The maximum temperature will come down to 34-35 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD data, the monsoon covered Delhi 29 times in June and 33 times in July in the past 62 years.

The IMD had in 2020 advanced the date of monsoon arrival in Delhi from June 29 to June 27.