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· Southwest monsoon is expected to cover the entire country within three days, with widespread heavy rainfall forecast across several states.
· Delhi remains under an Orange Alert as continuous rain brings relief from heat but causes waterlogging and severe traffic disruptions.
· Mumbai records its highest rainfall in 27 years, disrupting transport services, flooding roads and affecting normal life across the city.
· Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in several states, with thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds likely over many regions.
· The IMD has advised citizens and farmers to remain alert, avoid unnecessary travel and follow safety measures during intense rainfall.
The southwest monsoon has intensified across India, bringing widespread rainfall to large parts of the country and setting the stage for a fully active rainy season within the next few days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the monsoon will cover the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab over the next two to three days, marking its complete advance across the country. As the weather system strengthens, several states have been placed under orange and yellow alerts for heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds.
The widespread showers have brought welcome relief from the scorching summer heat but have also disrupted normal life in many regions through waterlogging, traffic congestion, transport delays and damage to infrastructure.
The national capital witnessed intermittent rainfall throughout Thursday, bringing a sharp fall in temperatures and ending days of oppressive heat and humidity. According to the IMD, daytime temperatures dropped by nearly five to six degrees Celsius as rain-bearing clouds covered the city.
While the showers offered much-needed respite, they also exposed Delhi's perennial monsoon challenges. Several low-lying areas reported waterlogging, leading to long traffic snarls and slower movement across major roads. The weather office has issued an Orange Alert for the city, forecasting cloudy skies, moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds of 15 to 20 kilometres per hour. The maximum temperature is expected to remain around 31 degrees Celsius, with the minimum likely to settle near 24 degrees Celsius.
Mumbai continues to witness one of its wettest monsoon seasons in recent history. Persistent heavy rain has affected daily life across the financial capital, inundating roads, disrupting suburban railway services and causing delays to several flights. Reports of fallen trees and minor landslides have emerged from different parts of the city, while authorities have shut schools and colleges in vulnerable areas as a precaution.
Meteorological records show that Mumbai received nearly 1,240 millimetres of rainfall between June 1 and July 7, the highest rainfall recorded during the period in the last 27 years. By July 6, the city had already received more than 60 per cent of its average seasonal rainfall, highlighting the exceptional intensity of this year's monsoon. Officials have warned that heavy showers are likely to continue over the coming days.
Heavy rainfall has also disrupted normal life in Gujarat, where cities including Vadodara, Surat, Vapi and Navsari have witnessed widespread flooding. Roads remained submerged in several areas, leaving vehicles stranded and severely affecting traffic movement. Strong winds accompanying the rain uprooted trees at multiple locations, causing further inconvenience to residents.
The IMD attributed the widespread rainfall over central and northern India to an active low-pressure area over northwestern Madhya Pradesh and adjoining southwestern Uttar Pradesh. The associated cyclonic circulation extends up to around 9.6 kilometres above mean sea level and is expected to move north-northwest before curving towards the northeast. An active western disturbance over northwest India has further enhanced rainfall activity across the region.
The weather department has issued an Orange Alert for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Bihar, eastern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Maharashtra, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, where heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected.
Yellow Alerts remain in force for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Heavy rainfall is also likely over coastal Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Konkan and Goa, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the Gangetic plains of West Bengal.
Besides heavy rain, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and strong winds are expected in several parts of the country. Wind speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour are likely over Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal and Telangana, while Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh may witness winds of up to 50 kilometres per hour.
With the monsoon expected to remain active over the coming days, the IMD has advised people to avoid unnecessary travel during periods of intense rainfall and stay away from waterlogged areas. Residents have also been urged not to take shelter under trees or electric poles during thunderstorms and to follow advisories issued by local authorities.
Farmers have been advised to ensure proper drainage in agricultural fields to prevent crop damage from excess rainwater. The department has recommended postponing irrigation, fertiliser application and pesticide spraying until weather conditions improve. Livestock should be shifted to safe shelters, while vegetable and horticultural crops should be protected through effective drainage arrangements. As the southwest monsoon gathers strength across the country, authorities continue to monitor the evolving weather systems closely, urging citizens to remain alert and prepared for further spells of heavy rain.
