Delhi waits for monsoon as dust storm, strong winds hit city; IMD issues orange alert

With Delhi's wait for the southwest monsoon this year prolonging by each day, parts of the national capital were hit by dust storms and strong winds on Wednesday evening, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an orange alert and forecast thunderstorms and rain over the next few hours. According to the IMD's district-level nowcast, light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 50-60 kmph, reaching up to 70 kmph, is very likely over various parts of Delhi during the next few hours. Light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph has also been forecast over other parts of the city.

Earlier in the day, the maximum temperature at the city's base station, Safdarjung, settled at 39.3 degrees Celsius, 0.7 notches above normal, while the heat index or "feels-like" temperature touched 45.8 degrees Celsius. Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 39.6 degrees Celsius, 0.6 notches above normal, while Lodi Road logged 38.8 degrees Celsius, 0.8 notches above normal. The Ridge observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 39.7 degrees Celsius, 1.2 notches below normal, while Ayanagar registered 39.3 degrees Celsius, 1.9 notches below normal, according to IMD data. Delhi has received 39.6 mm of rainfall so far this month against the normal of 48.3 mm, recording a deficit of 8.7 mm or 18 per cent below the long-period average, according to IMD data.

The capital witnessed contrasting rainfall trends during the pre-monsoon season. In April, Delhi recorded 30 mm of rainfall against the normal of 16.3 mm, an excess of about 84 per cent, due to pre-monsoon rains. However, rainfall fell below normal in May, with 17.6 mm recorded against the long-period average of 30.7 mm, a deficit of around 43 per cent. The pattern was markedly different last year, as Delhi received only 0.7 mm of rainfall in April 2025 against the normal of 16.3 mm, a deficit of about 96 per cent. Rainfall surged in May 2025, with the city recording 186.4 mm against the normal of 30.7 mm, an excess of about 507 per cent. June 2025 also ended wetter than usual, with 107.1 mm of rainfall recorded against the long-period average of 74.1 mm, about 45 per cent above normal.

According to IMD data, the southwest monsoon reached Delhi on June 25 in 2020 and covered the entire country a day later on June 26. In 2021, the monsoon's advance over Delhi was delayed until July 13, the same day it covered the entire country. The monsoon arrived in Delhi on June 30, 2022 and covered the whole country by July 2. In 2023, it reached the national capital on June 25 and completed its advance over the country on July 2. In 2024, the monsoon advanced over Delhi on June 28, while the entire country came under its coverage on July 2. Last year, the monsoon reached Delhi on June 29 and simultaneously covered the entire country on the same day. The data show that, except for 2021, the southwest monsoon has generally reached Delhi between June 25 and June 30 over the last five years. "Monsoon generally reaches Delhi by around June 28, but this year it will be delayed. We do not know exactly when it will reach," an IMD official said.

Explaining the weather pattern behind the delay, meteorologists said a low-pressure area normally develops over the Bay of Bengal around June 18-19 and helps pull moisture-laden winds from the Arabian Sea towards the Indian mainland. "The system then moves across Odisha, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh before advancing into northwest India, including Delhi. This creates a favourable anti-clockwise cyclonic circulation pattern that helps the monsoon progress further inland," they said.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet Weather, said the delay was due to the absence of the crucial Bay of Bengal weather system that typically helps propel rain-bearing winds towards northwest India. "We expect a favourable system to develop over the Bay of Bengal around June 25-26, after which the monsoon is likely to reach Delhi during the first week of July rather than June 27, which is the expected onset," he said. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung settled at 26 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 25.5 degrees Celsius, 2.5 notches below normal, while Lodi Road registered 25.6 degrees Celsius, 2.4 notches below normal.

The Ridge station recorded a minimum of 23.8 degrees Celsius, 4.7 notches below normal, and Ayanagar logged 25.7 degrees Celsius, 2.2 notches below normal. Meanwhile, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 127 in the moderate category at 4 pm on Wednesday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). According to the CPCB, an AQI between 101 and 200 falls in the "moderate" category, while 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe".