Though most of the conditions required for arrival of Southwest Monsoon in North India have been almost met, the most important condition i.e. flavours of good rain is lacking and only light to moderate rain have been witnessed.
Nevertheless, as the Monsoon trough is making an appearance now, Monsoon rain is likely to become more frequent. The position and depth of this trough plays a predominant role and controls overall Monsoon activity.
Monsoon is definitely lurking around in Delhi and North India; a look at the prerequisites for Monsoon reiterates this fact:
- Temperatures have come down considerably- After recording maximums around 39⁰C for few days, the mercury came down to 37.2⁰C on Monday and further dropped to 35.2⁰C on Tuesday.
- Cloud cover persists throughout the day.
- Rainfall pattern has changed as Delhi and adjoining areas receive rain during late night and morning hours.
- With easterly winds blowing across the region, humidity has been rising to touch even 90%.
Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and western parts of Uttar Pradesh will receive rain during next 24 hours. The hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will also observe some rain during this time. According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, this could be a precursor to the arrival of Monsoon in Delhi and rest of North India. Rain in Delhi and north western plains is likely to reduce from the 5th of July but the cloud cover may still persist.
picture courtesy- Raman Iyer