A day after the southwest monsoon reached Delhi, overcast skies and intermittent showers marked a subdued start to the season, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting similar conditions to prevail through the week. Dark monsoon clouds loom over green fields in Jatoli village on the outskirts of Gurugram on Monday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Delhi’s maximum temperature on Monday settled at 30.6°C, seven degrees below normal and two degrees lower than Sunday’s 32.8°C. The minimum stood at 24°C, also four degrees below normal. The city’s humidity levels remained high, fluctuating between 83% and 100%.

Light to moderate rainfall was recorded in parts of the Capital, with the city’s base station in Safdarjung logging 14mm of rain till 8.30am. No further rainfall was reported there during the day. Other stations saw varying levels of precipitation: Ayanagar recorded 20mm, Palam 14.4mm, Najafgarh 4mm, and Ridge 1mm, while areas such as Rajghat, Lodhi Road and Mayur Vihar reported trace or negligible rain.

The monsoon trough, currently running close to Delhi, is expected to stay in the region over the next few days, keeping the weather cloudy with light rain spells. “Similar conditions will persist, with scattered light rain likely across the city,” an IMD official said.

On Monday, the monsoon trough was passing over Sri Ganganagar, Delhi, Fatehgarh, Sidhi and Jamshedpur.

According to Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Weather, Delhi can expect a wet start to July but no extreme weather events. “The monsoon trough is in Delhi’s vicinity till July 2, after which it may shift southward. Overcast skies and high humidity will persist through the week, with light rain on and off,” he said.

June ended on a wetter-than-usual note for the city. Delhi recorded 107.1mm of rainfall during the month, marking a 45% surplus over the normal 74.1mm, according to the IMD data.

The southwest monsoon arrived in Delhi on Sunday, simultaneously covering the entire country nine days ahead of schedule of July 8, was a rare meteorological convergence that has occurred only five times since 2001, when IMD started recording monsoon onset in the capital.The previous instances were in 2003, 2013, 2018, and 2021.

This year, the monsoon covered the entire country on June 29—the earliest it has done so since 2020. Usually, it takes about four days to do so after reaching Delhi.

Nationally, the IMD has forecast above-normal rainfall for July, with the country expected to receive over 106% of the long-period average. However, parts of northeast and east India, the southern peninsula, and sections of northwest India may see below-normal rain.

“Most parts of the country are likely to experience normal to above-normal rainfall. However, most parts of northeast and east India, many areas of extreme south peninsular India and some areas of northwest India, are likely to receive below-normal rainfall,” the IMD had said.

For Delhi, daytime temperatures are expected to hover between 31-33°C this week, with minimums around 24-26°C. While conditions will remain humid and cloudy, the absence of intense rainfall may offer some respite as the city eases into the monsoon season.