India’s southwest monsoon has regained momentum after a brief slowdown and has now advanced into 16 states and Union Territories. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon’s progress has brought heavy rainfall to several parts of southern and northeastern India, while northern India continues to experience intense heat and humidity.
After arriving in Kerala on June 4, the southwest monsoon has continued its advance across the country. It has currently covered Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and all seven northeastern states.
The IMD said conditions are favourable for the monsoon to advance further into West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and northern parts of the Bay of Bengal over the next three to four days.
According to experts, the monsoon’s normal progress is an important indicator for the country’s agriculture and water resources. Timely rainfall is also expected to support the sowing of kharif crops.
The monsoon has brought substantial rainfall to several regions of southern and northeastern India. During the past 24 hours, parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, and Meghalaya received between 12 cm and 20 cm of rainfall.
In addition, several areas of Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, and Telangana recorded rainfall ranging from 7 cm to 11 cm.
Continuous rainfall has led to a drop in temperatures in many areas.
While the monsoon has become active across several parts of the country, northern India continues to face intense heat and humidity. Temperatures in many cities across Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, and Jharkhand remain between 42 degrees Celsius and 45 degrees Celsius.
Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan was the hottest location in the country, recording a maximum temperature of 45.6 degrees Celsius.
Rohtak in Haryana recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2 degrees Celsius, while temperatures reached 44.8 degrees Celsius in Fatehgarh and 43.6 degrees Celsius in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The national capital, Delhi, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius. Heat conditions also persisted in Patiala, Punjab, and Daltonganj, Jharkhand.
According to the IMD, a new western disturbance may become active over the western Himalayan region from June 11.
Under its influence, thunderstorms and rainfall are likely across Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other parts of northwestern India.
