The southwest monsoon, which has made rapid progress across central, western and eastern India over the last two days, is expected to reach Delhi and parts of Haryana and Punjab within the next two to three days. 

An official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday confirmed that Delhi is likely to see the arrival of the monsoon by 22 June, which is earlier than the usual date of 30 June. 

According to the IMD’s extended-range forecast, rainfall is expected across several parts of northwest India, including Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. This wet spell is expected to last from 20 to 25 June.

The southwest monsoon this year made an early arrival over Kerala on 24 May—the earliest since 2009, when it arrived on 23 May. Aided by strong low-pressure systems in both the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, it quickly moved through central Maharashtra (including Mumbai) and reached the entire northeast by 29 May.