The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that the southwest monsoon is expected to reach major parts of north India, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir within the next two days — by June 24. The IMD said that current weather conditions are favourable for the monsoon to advance further across north and northwest India. This signals a much-awaited relief from the heatwave in several northern states.

The monsoon has already made significant progress. According to the IMD, it has covered most parts of Himachal Pradesh, the entire regions of Ladakh and Kashmir, most areas of Jammu, and some parts of Punjab. The department added that more regions will start experiencing rain very soon.

“Conditions are favourable for the southwest monsoon to advance over the remaining parts of the North Arabian Sea, more areas of Rajasthan and Punjab, parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi, as well as the remaining regions of West Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu during the next two days,” the IMD said in its latest bulletin.

Between June 22 and June 26, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in northwest India, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Konkan and Goa. The IMD has issued specific alerts for extremely heavy rain in Gujarat on June 22 and in Madhya Pradesh on June 23 and 24.

The rains are expected to bring some relief from high temperatures and help boost the upcoming sowing season for farmers.

In the Northeast, the rainfall pattern is also intense. The IMD forecast says that the region will continue to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next three days. After that, there will be isolated heavy rain over the next four days.