62 years on, rains reach Mumbai, Delhi same day
Karam Prakash
New Delhi, June 25
For the first time since June 21, 1961, the monsoon, on Sunday, advanced over both Delhi and Mumbai at the same time, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The monsoon hit the national Capital two days before the normal date of onset while it entered the financial capital, Mumbai, two weeks late. The normal dates of monsoon-onset over Mumbai and Delhi have been June 11 and June 27 respectively.
Weather experts said that the setting dates over other parts of the country given the advancement pattern of monsoon this year had nothing to do with the onset date over Kerala.
This year, monsoon onset over Kerala was a week late from its normal date of June 1. However, it has reached several parts of the northwest, especially Delhi, Punjab and Haryana even before the normal date of arrival. Over the past four days, the advancement of monsoon saw a sudden impetus and covered more than 50 per cent part of the country.
Heavy rain lashed the national capital Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida and Gurugram in the early hours of Sunday. The downpour brought down the soaring temperature. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for June 25-27 in Delhi as light to moderate rainfall is very likely.
“Conditions are favourable for further advancement of monsoon and it will cover Punjab, remaining parts of Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat in the next two days,” said IMD Director General (Meteorology) Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Sunday during a press conference.
He added that Mumbai recorded the highest rainfall in the country with 18 cm over the past 24 hours. “Heavy to very heavy rainfall will occur at isolated places in various parts of the country due to monsoon. Conditions will be favourable for monsoon for the next five days,” said Mohapatra.
In view of strengthening monsoon, the weather office has issued yellow alert for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha on Sunday.
Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and east Uttar Pradesh on Sunday and Monday; Uttarakhand on Sunday; Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh until Thursday; west Uttar Pradesh till Monday; and east Rajasthan during Sunday-Wednesday are expected to get heavy to very heavy rainfall.
