Delhi-NCR woke up to a winter-like chill on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, as late-season rains swept through the national capital and surrounding areas, bringing cooler temperatures and overcast skies. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast isolated showers continuing through Tuesday before a dry spell takes hold from 30 September, with mainly clear skies expected through the first week of October.

Rain Activity Across the Region

Isolated rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning are expected at scattered locations across Delhi, Chandigarh and Haryana on Tuesday, with similar conditions likely in Punjab. From 30 September onwards, the IMD projects mainly dry weather over large parts of northwest India as the southwest monsoon completes its withdrawal from the country.

The late-season spell follows 4.3 mm of rain recorded at Safdarjung on Sunday morning, after 0.6 mm was logged until 8:30 pm the previous evening. Notably, the 27 September shower was the first rain recorded this late in the month since 29 September 2019, when just 0.3 mm was measured.

Monsoon Withdrawal: Earliest Since 2002

The late rains arrived just four days after the southwest monsoon officially withdrew from Delhi on 23 September 2026 — earlier than the IMD's normal withdrawal date of 25 September (based on the 1971–2019 climatological period). This year's withdrawal was the earliest since 2002, when the monsoon exited Delhi on 20 September.

The 2026 monsoon arrived over Delhi on 2 July, five days later than the standard onset date of 27 June. It lasted 83 days — seven days shorter than the normal duration. Despite an uneven distribution, Safdarjung recorded 728.6 mm of rainfall between 1 June and 23 September against the normal 629.7 mm, a surplus of 16 per cent. The IMD classified the season as 'normal' even though it exceeded the long-period average.

Widespread Rainfall Forecast Across India

As the monsoon makes its final exit, rainfall activity remains widespread. Heavy rain is likely in Himachal Pradesh, parts of the Northeast, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and South Interior Karnataka. Rain and thunderstorm activity is also expected to continue across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Hilly states of North India, Bihar and Northeast India are also in the forecast zone.

Delhi Air Quality Remains Satisfactory

Despite the weather shift, Delhi-NCR's air quality held steady in the 'satisfactory' category on Tuesday. Monitoring stations reported AQI levels of 58 at Mandir Marg, 60 at Aya Nagar, 60 at Punjabi Bagh, 83 at CRRI Mathura Road, 67 at Sirifort, 72 at IGNOU-Maidan Garhi, 73 at Chandni Chowk, 58 at Burari Crossing, 69 at Anand Vihar, 82 at Mundka, 77 at Jahangirpuri, 70 at Okhla Phase-2, and 65 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

With the dry spell due from Wednesday, residents can expect a gradual transition toward autumn conditions — though the IMD has not ruled out further isolated activity in the days ahead.