Overview
- The India Meteorological Department has warned of isolated thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds over Delhi-NCR for the next few days, with sustained surface winds of 20–30 km/h and gusts up to about 40 km/h.
- Forecasters say the showers are driven by western disturbances and extra moisture, not by the southwest monsoon, so the episodes will give only short-term relief from heat.
- The IMD now expects the monsoon’s arrival in Delhi to be later than the normal June 27 date and possibly slip into late June or early July.
- India’s rainfall this month shows a large deficit and Delhi’s local totals are far below normal, with national data indicating roughly a 41% shortfall for early June and the city recording much lower-than-average June rain.
- Air quality in Delhi has worsened into the ‘poor’ range, with 24-hour AQI readings in the 200s after a recent dust storm, and elevated particulates are likely to persist until sustained rains arrive.