Monsoon update: No chance of monsoon till July 7, says IMD as heatwave continues to singe Delhi

(Source: Reuters)

Delhi continues to reel under a heatwave for the fourth day on the trot. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 43.1 degrees Celsius on July 1, the highest in July since 2012.

The maximum temperature recorded at the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, stood at 43.1 degrees Celsius, the highest for the month of July in nine years. The minimum temperature settled at 31.7 degrees Celsius.

The capital recorded a maximum of 43.5 degrees Celsius on July 2, 2012.
The highest maximum temperature for July last year was 41.6 degrees Celsius.

"The intensity of the heatwave and its area coverage are likely to decrease due to expected south-westerly winds from the Arabian Sea. But there won't be much relief during the next seven days due to the increase in humidity," IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.

He said there is "no chance" of Delhi and its neighbouring areas receiving monsoon rains till July 7. After that, the region will witness below-normal rainfall till the middle of this month.

Heatwave singes North India

Blistering heat scorched north India on July 1 driving power demand to new highs while the India Meteorological Department warned that the heatwave is likely to continue in this region for the next two days.

Temperatures across the northern plains have crossed 40 degrees Celsius in the last few days. The southwest monsoon has covered the entire country but has eluded Haryana, Delhi, parts of Punjab, west Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh.

Heatwave conditions were recorded in most places is Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, northwest Rajasthan and northwest Madhya Pradesh, with severe heatwave conditions at isolated areas in the region.

IMD expects normal monsoon in July

The southwest monsoon over the country is likely to be normal in July, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on July 1 in its forecast for the month.

IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said though the rainfall is not expected to be good in the first week of July, the precipitation activity is likely to pick up in the second half of the second week of the month.

"Monthly rainfall for July 2021 over the country as a whole is most likely to be normal (94 to 106 per cent of Long Period Average)," the IMD said.

(With PTI inputs)