Monsoon nears Kerala; thunderstorms, heavy rain to continue across India

As conditions turn favourable for the southwest monsoon to enter Kerala, large parts of India are set to witness thunderstorms, lightning, gusty winds and rainfall on Wednesday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting active weather across north, central, eastern and southern regions.

The weather office has predicted widespread rainfall activity over Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and parts of the Northeast, while thunderstorms and squally winds are likely to affect Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Monsoon set to arrive

The IMD has indicated that conditions remain favourable for the southwest monsoon to advance into Kerala shortly, marking the start of the country's four-month rainy season. It is expected to set in over Kerala around June 4.

Typically, the monsoon arrives in Kerala around June 1, marking the beginning of the southwest monsoon season (June-September).

"Conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of the southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep Islands, and some parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu around June 4," the IMD said in its daily forecast.

Thunderstorms to persist across north, central India

Thunderstorm activity is expected to continue over large parts of northwest and central India through the week.

According to the IMD, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are likely to witness light spells of rain accompanied by lightning and gusty winds. Squally winds reaching up to 50-70 kmph may occur in parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

Parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha are also likely to experience thunderstorms and gusty winds, while hailstorm activity has been forecast in some areas of Madhya Pradesh.

In eastern India, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal are expected to remain under the influence of thunderstorm activity, with light to moderate rainfall likely at several places.

Heavy rainfall likely over south, Northeast

South India is expected to remain the country's most active rainfall zone.

Even before the official onset, pre-monsoon activity has intensified across several regions, with the IMD forecasting widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms over Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Lakshadweep. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Kerala, Mahe and parts of Karnataka.

The Northeast is also likely to witness sustained rainfall activity over the next few days. Heavy rain has been forecast over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, with widespread rainfall expected across the rest of the region.

Delhi weather forecast

Delhi-NCR is likely to remain under generally cloudy skies, with the possibility of light rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds during the day.

The maximum temperature is likely to remain around 37-39 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is expected to hover between 26-28 degrees Celsius.

The IMD has forecast light rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds reaching up to 40-50 kmph for the national capital till June 5.