Delhi-NCR Braces for Light Drizzles While North States See Heavy Showers
The latest IMD outlook points to a sluggish monsoon, with 372 districts across India receiving less than normal rain. Out of these, 68 districts are identified as the most severely affected. The agency does not expect any widespread rainfall until after July 20, limiting precipitation to light or moderate showers in the low‑lying plains.
Heavy‑rain warnings have been issued for several regions: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. In addition, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and the Andaman‑Nicobar islands are forecast to experience thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds.
Delhi‑NCR currently has no alert for intense rain. The forecast suggests intermittent light rain or drizzle over the coming days, which may bring slight relief from the oppressive humidity but will not cause a notable drop in temperature.
In the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh will continue to see active monsoon conditions with heavy rainfall expected in many locations. Eastern Uttar Pradesh also falls under a heavy‑rain alert. Conversely, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are likely to experience only patchy showers.
Rajasthan’s monsoon is expected to stay weak for the next week, keeping most of the state dry. The western part may see dusty, gusty winds, while isolated areas could get light rain.
Eastern India is set for substantial rainfall: Bihar faces heavy rain, and several districts in Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal are also projected to receive significant showers. The sub‑Himalayan sections of West Bengal and Sikkim may see very heavy rain, and the northeastern states listed earlier will likely continue to experience persistent showers.
The delayed monsoon is already affecting agriculture. Government figures indicate that sowing this year is about one crore hectares less than the same period last year. The central government is monitoring the situation closely, hoping that a pickup in monsoon activity during the second half of July will allow farmers to finish sowing, which normally concludes by the end of July. If the monsoon improves, the sowing window could be extended to mid‑August.
Experts note that the monsoon will likely remain weak across most of the country until July 20. After that date, however, they expect new cyclonic developments in the Bay of Bengal that could reactivate the monsoon, bring much‑needed rain, and improve conditions for both standing crops and upcoming sowing operations.