Delhi on Friday received its first spell of monsoon on Thursday bringing the capital’s maximum temperature to 29.4 degrees, the lowest in four months.
The southwest monsoon has advanced into Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department said. The southwest monsoon usually arrives in Delhi on June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8.
Mumbai is also likely to receive “very heavy to extremely heavy” showers in the city and suburbs in the next 24 hours.
The India Meteorological Department on Friday predicted “moderate to heavy rainfall” for Mumbai city and its suburbs and the possibility of “very heavy to extremely heavy” showers at isolated places in the next 24 hours. As per the official data, the island city received 179.13 mm rain in 24 hours till 8 am, followed by 140.58 mm in the western suburbs and 109.06 mm in the eastern suburbs.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) G-North ward, which includes Dadar, Dharavi, Mahim and Matunga, received the highest 238 mm rain, while G-South ward, with Worli and Lower Parel, got 208 mm rainfall, a civic official said. The IMD Mumbai has predicted moderate to heavy rain in the city and suburbs, besides the possibility of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places for the next 24 hours from 8 am. The Central Railway has claimed that the suburban services were running as per schedule.
Rains lashed most parts of Rajasthan on Friday which brought much respite from the mercury. Two people died due to thunder lightning in the Kunwaria police station area of Rajsamand. Police said Kaluram (27) and Kantilal (38), who took shelter at a tea stall to avoid rain on Kuraj Road, died after thunder and lightning struck the area.
Very heavy rains lashed parts of Anand, Surat and Rajkot in Gujarat on Friday, leaving two people dead, flooding low-lying areas and throwing normal life out of gear, officials said. The meteorological department has forecast light to moderate rainfall for most parts of the state for the next five days, with heavy to very heavy showers in some isolated pockets during this period.
The IMD has said that the monsoon is likely to cover the entire country by July 6 even as it is yet to arrive in parts of Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
IMD director-general M Mohapatra said the monsoon has entered a good phase. “Over the past few days, rainfall has improved over the country, and now for the next week, we expect very good rainfall activity over entire northwest India, central India, entire Indo-Gangetic plains, and west coast.”
According to the IMD official, the rainfall deficiency will be covered and on July 1, the monsoon will advance further to the entire Haryana and Punjab.
(With inputs from agencies)