The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the whole country, including Delhi, had been covered by the southwest monsoon as of June 29—nine days earlier than its scheduled time.

The oncoming of the monsoon over the capital took two days more than the regular date of June 27, but overall coverage was much earlier than the regular July 8 mark. IMD has also issued a yellow alert for Delhi for Sunday, predicting the steady occurrence of light to moderate rain.

Monsoon Covers Entire Country

In a statement on Sunday, the IMD confirmed that the monsoon had extended to the rest of Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi. “The southwest monsoon has advanced further into the remaining parts of Rajasthan, West Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, and the whole Delhi area today. Hence, it covered the whole country on June 29, instead of the normal date of July 8,” the department said.

Last year, monsoon coverage finished on July 2—six days ahead of schedule. This year, the trend was repeated. The monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 24, a week ahead of schedule. It reached Mumbai by May 26, almost two weeks before the normal onset date of June 11.

Early Start, Then a Temporary Stall

Even after the premature onset in the south, the monsoon underwent a ‘break’ in activity in the first week of June. The IMD reported its advance march halting before resuming on June 12.

IMD repeatedly delayed and revised the forecast for the monsoon onset over Delhi. The IMD initially forecast the arrival of the monsoon in Delhi on June 24. It then corrected the date to June 24 on June 20, then asserted that it would arrive within 36 hours on June 24. The period continued to change, and June 26 saw the forecast that the monsoon would envelop the nation within 3–4 days—without specifically mentioning Delhi.

Delhi Sees No Significant Rainfall

On Saturday, Delhi received limited rain, primarily in its southwest, south, and eastern regions. The Safdarjung weather station, the capital’s base station, registered only ‘trace’ precipitation during the day. However, surrounding places such as Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram witnessed brief, heavy showers.

The IMD has put out a yellow alert for Delhi on Sunday, warning of light to moderate rain in some areas of the city.

Earliest Onset Since 2020

This is the earliest onset of monsoon over the whole nation since 2020 when it ended nationwide coverage on June 26. Previously, this early coverage occurred on June 26 in 2015 and as early as June 16 in 2013.

The IMD is keeping a close eye on progress and rains distribution over the next few days, particularly over rain-deficient areas. India has officially welcomed the onset of monsoon—early, extensive, and closely watched—till now.