Monsoon to ditch Delhi for next 5 days, humidity likely to go down: IMD

The discomfort due to waiting for rains and cool winds is likely to extend till the end of this week as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday junked the possibility of rain in the next five days.

"For at least the next five days there is no chance (of monsoon) in Delhi. We're monitoring the situation. The discomfort because of moisture & humidity will decrease because of the westerly winds," IMD senior scientist RK Jenamani told news agency ANI.

India is witnessing a weak monsoon this year, due to which some states are already witnessing a deficit.

Jenamani said India will get a large amount of rainfall over Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh till July 5.

There is a chance of flooding also in these regions so we have issued a red alert, the IMD scientist said.

In India, June 1 to September 30 is officially considered the monsoon season. The normal date for monsoon arrival over Delhi is June 27.

However, this year the monsoon progress continues to be slow and rainfall is subdued across the country. The northern limit of monsoon (NLM) continues to pass through Barmer, Bhilwara, Dholpur, Aligarh, Meerut, Ambala and Amritsar.

IMD on Monday said that Central Delhi is the second most rain-deficient district in the country as it has recorded just 8.5 mm of rainfall this year. Central Delhi has received only 8.5 mm rainfall against the normal of 55.2 mm since June 1 -- a deficiency of 85%, officials said.

The top most parched district in terms of rain is Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. It has recorded 5 mm precipitation against the normal of 70.6 mm -- a shortfall of 93%.

Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and 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