New Delhi, June 28 (Inditop.com) Dust storms and drizzle in Delhi and other parts of north India Sunday afternoon that brought some relief from sweltering heat signal an advancing southwest monsoon, according to met officials.
“Dust storms and mild thundershowers like what Delhi experienced today are precursors to the advancing monsoon,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Ajit Tyagi told IANS.
“Northern India is also likely to witness pre-monsoon showers in the next couple of days or the start of July. The monsoon is expected to reach Delhi by the first week of July,” he said.
The monsoon Sunday further advanced into the central India, leading to rainfall in parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and western Chhattisgarh.
The monsoon completely covered Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh by Saturday.
IMD has forecast a below-average monsoon this year – the country is likely to receive only 93 percent of the expected rainfall.
According to the met officials, northwest India that includes Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh will receive 81 percent of the average rainfall, which would be the lowest in the four zones of the country.
