Delhi monsoon onset delayed past June 27 as heat index hits 47.5 degrees at Safdarjung

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that the southwest monsoon is likely to be delayed in Delhi, missing its normal onset date of June 27. While rain is expected to continue in the coming days, Safdarjung has recorded below-normal rainfall for the month of June, leaving residents to deal with persistent, oppressive heat and humidity.

On Friday, the heat index, or feel-like temperature, in Delhi soared to 47.5 degrees Celsius at 2:30 p.m. The maximum temperature reached 41.5 degrees Celsius, which is four degrees above the normal average. The minimum temperature on Friday was recorded at 28.7 degrees Celsius.

The IMD has not yet announced a specific date for the monsoon's arrival in the national capital. Historically, the monsoon reached Delhi on June 29 last year and on June 28 in 2024.

Despite the delay in reaching Delhi, the IMD noted that conditions are favourable for the southwest monsoon to advance further. Over the next three to four days, the monsoon is expected to move into more parts of the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, the remaining areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Local rainfall data highlights the dry start to the season. The Safdarjung observatory has logged only 41.8 mm of rainfall so far in June, compared to the normal monthly average of 74.1 mm.

To provide some immediate relief, the Met department issued a yellow alert for Friday night, forecasting light to very light rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds reaching speeds of up to 60 kmph. While there is no colour-coded warning for the following days, the IMD predicted that rain is likely to continue over the next few days.

Temperatures are expected to remain high on Saturday, with the maximum temperature projected to stay between 39 and 41 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature is predicted to range between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius.