Rain likely in northwest India, including Delhi due to Cyclone Biparjoy

Light rains may occur in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and Friday under the influence of Cyclone Biparjoy which is gaining steam in the Arabian Sea, said a private forecasting agency.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted light rain and generally cloudy weather on June 15 and June 16 in Delhi.

The cyclone is very likely to cross between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan, near Gujarat's Jakhau Port by the noon of June 15 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum wind speed of 125-135 kmph and gusting to 150 kmph.

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"The cyclone in the Arabian Sea, after making landfall on June 15, may bring scattered unseasonal rains over Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh in the third week of June," Skymet Weather said.

However, it clarified that these will not be typical monsoon rains and may not even benefit agriculture operations due to their untimely nature.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, said Delhi may get light rainfall under the influence of a fresh western disturbance and moisture-laden southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea which will reach the city after crossing Rajasthan and south Haryana.

"There is a rise in maximum temperatures. This along with moist southwesterly winds and the western disturbance will lead to rain activity in northwest India," he said.

The IMD had last month predicted normal to below-normal monsoon in northwest India which could mean more drier and hotter days in Delhi going ahead.

In June, normal to above-normal maximum temperatures are likely across most parts of the country, except for the extreme north and some parts of the southern peninsular region, it had said.

The monsoon hit the Indian mainland on Thursday, with the IMD declaring onset over Kerala a week after the usual date of June 1.

The IMD had earlier predicted a delay of four days in the monsoon onset over Kerala. However, the cyclone in the Arabian Sea delayed it further.

Research shows a delay in the monsoon onset over Kerala does not necessarily mean a delay in the monsoon onset over northwest India. Normally, the rain-bearing system reaches Delhi by June 27.