Monsoon arrives in Delhi 16 days behind schedule, rains drench Capital

The weather department revised the forecast yet again on Saturday, saying the monsoon may reach the capital in the next 24 hours. But the wind system kept the city waiting on Sunday and there was hardly any rainfall on Monday too.

New Delhi: The Southwest Monsoon finally reached the capital Tuesday, 16 days behind the usual date of onset, making it the most delayed in 19 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In 2002, the monsoon had covered Delhi on July 19. "The monsoon has arrived in Delhi," senior IMD scientist K Jenamani confirmed after a spell of rains drenched parts of South Delhi Tuesday morning. Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27. It covers the entire country by July 8. Last year, the wind system had reached Delhi on June 25 and covered the entire country by June 29.