NEW DELHI: Most north Indian states on Monday reported below-normal temperatures, with rain and thunderstorms lashing parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh on the first day of June, weather data showed.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon, which typically begins around June 1, is expected to arrive in Kerala in the next two to three days.
“The conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep Islands, and some parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu during the next two to three days," the IMD said.
The advance can also take place in some more parts of southwest, west-central, east-central and north-east Bay of Bengal, and the remaining parts of south-east Bay of Bengal during the period, it predicted.
Delhi recorded its coolest start to June in three years on Monday, with the Safdarjung observatory, considered the official marker for the city, logging a high of 36.3 degrees Celsius and a low of 24.9 degrees Celsius.
The last time the city recorded a lower maximum temperature on June 1 was in 2023 at 32.7 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 20.6 degrees Celsius.
The maximum temperature at Safdarjung was 3.7 degrees below the normal for the season.
Among the other monitoring stations, Palam recorded a maximum of 35.5 degrees, Lodi Road 35.2 degrees, Ridge 35.6 degrees, and Ayanagar 35.4 degrees, all 3-5 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal, IMD data showed.
No rainfall was recorded in the last 24 hours across any of the five monitoring stations in Delhi.
According to the IMD, temperatures are expected to gradually rise from Tuesday as the current spell of rain activity weakens and moves away from the region.
Following a similar trend, the maximum temperatures in Haryana and Punjab hovered below the normal limits on Monday.
The weather pattern has been following the below-normal trend since Saturday, when rain lashed several parts of the two states, including Chandigarh.
According to the local weather office, Chandigarh on Monday recorded a maximum of 36 degrees Celsius, more than three notches below the normal.
In Haryana, Ambala recorded a high of 36.1 degrees Celsius, Karnal 32.8 degrees, Hisar 38.4 degrees, while Rohtak recorded a maximum of 38.3 degrees Celsius, all about 3-7 degrees below the normal limits, weather data showed.
In Punjab, Amritsar was the hottest at 36.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Ludhiana and Patiala, both at 35.6 degrees Celsius, all about 4-5 degrees below the normal for the season.
Parts of Rajasthan witnessed rain and hailstorm on Monday, with the maximum temperatures in many places dropping by up to 5 degrees Celsius, local weather data showed.
More than 10 districts, including Nagaur, Phalodi, Chittorgarh and Ajmer, witnessed rain accompanied by strong winds, while hailstorm was reported at isolated locations.
According to the weather department, the change in weather has been triggered by active western disturbances, leading to recurring spells of rain and thunderstorms at many places across the state.
While Phalodi was the hottest in the state at 43.8 degrees Celsius, barring a few places like Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Sri Ganganagar, most cities recorded maximum temperatures below the 40-degree mark, weather data showed.
In the last 24 hours, Chittorgarh recorded 20 mm of rainfall, followed by Nagaur at 13 mm, Ajmer at 12.6 mm, and Niwai in Tonk at 11 mm.
State capital Jaipur recorded a high of 38 degrees Celsius before evening showers and cloud cover brought the temperatures down, the data showed.
The weather office has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and rain in several districts till June 5.
In Uttar Pradesh, Fatehgarh was the hottest place on Monday with the mercury reaching 42 degrees Celsius, followed by Basti at 41 degrees, while state capital Lucknow reported a high of 34.1 degrees Celsius, 6.1 notches below normal, weather data showed.
Rainfall was recorded in Sultanpur (14.8 mm), Fatehpur (7.3 mm), Fursatganj (6.6 mm), Azamgarh (3.8 mm), Hardoi (1.6 mm), Jamesian (1.2 mm) and Gorakhpur (0.1 mm), according to the data.
In Himachal Pradesh, light to moderate rain lashed several parts of the state in the 24 hours since Sunday evening.
Sarahan received 34 mm of rain, followed by Kalpa (26.4 mm), Sangla (17.4 mm), Shimla (13 mm), Kufri (12.2 mm), Dhaulakuan (11 mm), Poanta Sahib (8.4 mm), Tabo (7 mm), Solan (6.8 mm) and Manali (5 mm), local weather data showed.
In Shimla, fog reduced visibility to a few metres, officials said.
Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti recorded the lowest night temperature in the state at 4.3 degrees Celsius, while Una was hottest in the day at 37.2 degrees Celsius, weather data showed.
The weather office has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds at isolated places in the state from Wednesday to Friday.