Rain brings relief to parched Delhi, monsoon on way to East UP; heatwaves start to recede from North India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on June 21 said that conditions are favourable for further advance of monsoon into some more parts of north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, remaining parts of Maharashtra, some more parts of MP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and some parts of East UP during next 3-4 days. 

The weather agency issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy rainfall for coastal Karnataka, south interior Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe, Konkan and Goa between June 21 and 25. 

Additionally, the IMD issued an orange alert for isolated heavy for Madhya Maharashtra, Bihar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, north interior Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu-Pondicherry-Karaikal between June 21 and 25. 

On June 20, heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy rainfall took place at isolated places over Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Bihar and West Madhya Pradesh. Heavy rainfall was also recorded at isolated places over coastal and North Interior Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand and East Madhya Pradesh.  

Western disturbance and cyclonic circulations 

The IMD has predicted moderate rains in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi on June 21. IMD said that a Western Disturbance has been seen as a cyclonic circulation over Himachal Pradesh and neighbourhood in lower and middle tropospheric levels with a trough and an induced cyclonic circulation lies over northwest Uttar Pradesh in lower tropospheric levels. 

Parts of Delhi experienced rainfall today amid an intense spell of heatwave. Visuals from the RK Puram area showed rain lashing the streets, providing a welcome change from the scorching conditions that have gripped the region.

Similar scenes were witnessed in other areas of the National Capital Region (NCR), with Gurugram also experiencing a downpour. The Met office also forecasted thunderstorms accompanied by light rain in certain parts of the city later in the day, with the maximum temperature expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius.

A cyclonic circulation over northeast Assam and neighbourhood is also likely to bring widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal during the next five days. 

A cyclonic circulation also lies over Bihar and adjoining East Uttar Pradesh and an east-west trough runs from northeast Rajasthan to Manipur in lower tropospheric levels. Under their influence, fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) are likely over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andaman & Nicobar Islands during the next five days. The IMD has also predicted heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand and East UP during the next seven days under the influence of lower-level easterlies from Bay of Bengal. 

End of heatwaves 

As temperatures fell across North India by 2-3 degrees Celsius, the IMD removed heatwave warning from most parts except for some parts of Uttar Pradesh. In its forecast on June 21, the IMD said that heatwave conditions are likely in isolated pockets of West Uttar Pradesh during June 21-24 and in Jammu division from June 23-25 and will abate thereafter. 

The highest maximum temperature of 43.8 degree Celsius was reported in Sirsa (Haryana) on June 20 while maximum temperatures were in the range of 40-42°C in many parts of West Rajasthan, south Uttar Pradesh and north Madhya Pradesh; in isolated pockets of Haryana-Delhi, East Rajasthan and Gujarat.