IMD says wait for monsoon may be over in 5-6 days even as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh reel under heat

Conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon into several northern States over the next five to six days, the IMD said on Sunday (June 28, 2026), even as the national capital recorded its warmest morning in two years amid the delayed seasonal rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a release that conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of the North Arabian Sea and some areas of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, among other States, during the next two to three days.

It is likely to continue its movement over some more parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, some areas of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and southeast Rajasthan during the subsequent two to three days.

However, it also warned of heatwave conditions - possibly severe - in Uttar Pradesh on July 28 and 29.

According to weather forecasting agency Skymet, Delhi is likely to see the arrival of monsoon on July 4 if conditions remain favourable.

Meanwhile, recording its warmest morning in two years, Delhi's minimum temperature settled at 31.1 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches above the seasonal average, while the maximum climbed to 41.8 degrees Celsius.

The last time the city's minimum temperature was higher was on June 14, 2024, when it was recorded at 33.3 degrees Celsius.

According to the weather office, a heatwave has been realised over Delhi, and the “feels-like” temperature at 5.30 p.m., as calculated by the IMD, was around 50.7 degrees Celsius. For Monday, however, it forecast thunderstorms with rain.

Skymet said the delay in the onset of the monsoon and the interaction of dry and moist winds have kept both temperatures and humidity unusually high.

"Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi around June 27-28, after which temperatures begin to ease and humidity increases. This year, however, the monsoon is likely to be delayed by about a week. Dry westerly winds from Pakistan are keeping temperatures high, while southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea are also reaching Delhi and increasing humidity," Mahesh Palawat, Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change), Skymet, said.

"When these dry and moist air masses interact, clouds do form, but there is not enough moisture for widespread rainfall. By the time cloud formation takes place, usually around 4 or 5 pm, the day's maximum temperature has already been recorded. That is why both the maximum temperature and the 'feels-like' temperature have remained unusually high," he said.

The meteorological centre in Shimla predicted a wet spell in Himachal Pradesh till July 4, saying a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from July 2 onwards.

It issued an alert for thunderstorms and gusts of 30-40 kmph in isolated place in the State between June 30 and July 4.

The isolated parts of the state are very likely to witness a heat wave in the next 24 hours, the department said, adding that thunderstorms/lightning accompanied by gusty winds are very likely at isolated places over eastern Uttar Pradesh. In Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius, 3.8 degrees above normal, and a minimum of 19.7 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal. For Jammu, the maximum stood at 37 degrees, and the minimum was 3.8 notches below normal at 22.5 degrees Celsius.

The weather office said pre-monsoon showers in the plains of Jammu and adjoining areas were likely on June 29 and forecasted intense heavy showers, thunder and gusty winds at a few places.