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Monsoon may hit Punjab, Haryana in first week of July
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 24
Though the Meteorological Department refuses to commit itself on when the monsoon will bring the much-needed respite from the unrelenting heat prevailing in the northern parts of the country, weather observers say it is most likely to hit Delhi, Punjab and Haryana in the first week of July.

Going by the trend in the past few years and the relatively good progress it made after remaining sluggish in the beginning of its onset this year, the observers say that most likely the monsoon will keep its date with Delhi and neighbouring states and arrive here sometime in the first week of July.

The normal date for the onset of monsoon over Delhi is June 29. In Punjab and Haryana, it arrives around this very date with a standard deviation of eight days, which as per the weather office is considered normal arrival.

The weather office normally issues updated predictions for the July rainfall in the end of June along with the forecast for the country as a whole and four homogeneous regions. It,however, doesn’t give predictions for more than four days in advance on the normal day-to-day basis.

But if the past trend is observed, barring 2002, which was a drought year and when the rain gods smiled on Delhi only as late as July 19, in 2000 the monsoon touched Delhi on June 23, in 2001 on June 24 and in 2003 and 2004 on July 5.

Since it has now reached the eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh and if all factors remain favourable, the monsoon should reach Delhi, Punjab and Haryana in roughly another 15 days. Pre-monsoon showers are expected to bring the much-needed respite from the heat wave earlier.

Meanwhile, the monsoon made a remarkable progress today and advanced further into the remaining parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, the entire Chattisgarh and some more parts of east Utter Pradesh, Gujarat and southern Madhya Pradesh.

After its northern wing touched Nalliya, Surat , Sholapur, Gannavaram, Gopalpur, Bhagalpur, Jamshedpur, Patna and Gorakhpur in the past two days, it made substantial advance today, reaching Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Varanasi and Bahraich.

Conditions continue to be favourable for its further advancement into remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh and people in Delhi, east Rajasthan, west Haryana are also likely to get some respite from the heat in the next two to three days.