Heavy to very heavy rains are predicted over several parts of north India, including Delhi, by Monday morning, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), but there was little relief from the scorching heat during the day as the Southwest Monsoon has yet to reach the residual parts of the region.

The IMD had predicted that the Southwest Monsoon would arrive on July 10 in portions of north India, including Delhi, however, it did not arrive until Sunday evening.

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The circumstances are perfect for the Southwest Monsoon to move over Delhi, according to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, as humidity has increased due to easterlies. According to him, the creation of a low-pressure region would also help it advance.

“We are expecting light rainfall on Sunday and a good spell on Monday,” he said.

The IMD said, “Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, the Gujarat region, Madhya Maharashtra, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Telangana, coastal and south interior Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.” It has also issued alerts for several north Indian states and a red warning for coastal Maharashtra.

Heavy rain is also predicted in isolated areas across Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Muzaffarabad, as well as west Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim, Odisha, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Saurashtra and Kutch, Marathwada, Rayalaseema, north interior Karnataka, and Lakshadweep.

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Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (of 30-40 km/h) are expected in isolated areas across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Telangana, according to the forecast.

By Monday morning, lightning is expected in isolated areas over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.