india

Updated: Jun 27, 2019 07:40 IST

The south-west monsoon’s progress has stalled for up to four days in the absence of favourable weather factors for it to advance, likely delaying its arrival in the national capital, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its weather bulletin on Wednesday.

A low-pressure area is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal only around June 30, when conditions will turn favourable for the monsoon to advance to the remaining parts of central, west and northwest India after July 1, the IMD said.

IIMD scientists said it was too early to say when the monsoon will reach Delhi. The normal date for the June-September monsoon’s arrival over Delhi is June 29. Meteorologists at Skymet Weather, the private forecaster, said the monsoon may hit the city only around July 7 this year.

“We have said that the low pressure area over Bay of Bengal is likely to form. Then it may move inland and carry the monsoon current further. Currently the conditions for monsoon advancement are not favourable,” said K Sathi Devi, head of the National Weather Forecasting Centre at the IMD. Even so, the monsoon is forecast to remain active in parts of India, with isolated to heavy, very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall likely over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura will also receive good rains in the next couple of days.

“For the next three to four days monsoon will not move. Most parts of northwest and east India will remain dry. Rains in Mumbai will continue between June 27 and 29. But monsoon activity over central and northwest India will be subdued. Easterly winds will be replaced by dry north-westerly winds until June 28,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather.

Rain had been forecast over Delhi and adjoining areas on June 24 but only Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana experienced scattered rainfall.

Weak El Nino conditions are persisting, which may start ebbing from mid-July onwards.