Monsoon Eludes Delhi, Reaches Rajasthan's Barmer 2 Weeks Early

Monsoon 2021: The Southwest Monsoon is yet to reach Delhi. Barmer in western Rajasthan received Monsoon rain two weeks before the normal schedule

The Southwest Monsoon has reached Barmer in western Rajasthan, one of its last outposts, two weeks before its normal schedule but is yet to arrive in the north Indian plains including Delhi, which have been reeling under searing heat, the Meteorological office said on Tuesday. The northern limit of Southwest Monsoon continues to pass through Barmer, Bhilwara, Dholpur, Aligarh, Meerut, Ambala and Amritsar, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. After arriving two days late in Kerala, the Monsoon had raced across the country, covering the eastern, central and adjoining northwest India seven to 10 days earlier than normal. It has even covered parts of north India, including Barmer, a border district and desert area, but parts of western Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana are yet to receive Monsoon rainfall. According to Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, Barmer is among the few stations in Rajasthan, which are usually covered by the Southwest Monsoon last, that is, by the first week of July. "A system in the Arabian Sea provided impetus to the Monsoon, which covered some parts of Rajasthan including Barmer in early June," Mr Mohapatra said. In case of Delhi, Haryana, parts of Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and western Rajasthan, the easterlies bring Monsoon over this area from the Bay of Bengal, the senior weather scientist added.