The southwest monsoon has advanced across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and the rest of North India as of 4 July 2026, though the national capital is yet to receive widespread heavy showers. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast intermittent rainfall over Delhi-NCR through 9 July, with active monsoon conditions expected to persist across large parts of the country over the next four to five days.

IMD Alerts and Rainfall Timeline

The IMD has issued rain alerts for Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh between 6 July and 8 July. In western Uttar Pradesh — including Noida and Ghaziabad — rainfall is expected on 8 and 9 July, while eastern districts are forecast to receive showers from 7 to 9 July. Heavy rainfall has also been forecast over Gujarat, Konkan, central Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh between 3 and 6 July.

In the Himalayan belt, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir are expected to receive widespread rainfall through 9 July, with Himachal Pradesh likely to see particularly active monsoon conditions from 5 July onwards. Both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh remain under multi-day rain alerts.

Monsoon Progress Across States

According to the IMD, the monsoon has advanced further into additional parts of Gujarat, the remaining areas of Madhya Pradesh, and more regions of Rajasthan and Haryana. Its continued advancement has been aided by the formation of a low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal, which has created favourable atmospheric conditions.

Eastern Rajasthan is likely to receive heavy rainfall through 9 July, while western Rajasthan may witness intense showers accompanied by thunderstorms during the same period. Across Uttar Pradesh, monsoon activity has intensified — continuous rainfall has been reported from parts of the Awadh belt, including Lucknow, Kanpur, and Unnao, while Barabanki, Etawah, and Bahraich have also received steady showers over the past two days.

In the Purvanchal region, districts such as Gorakhpur, Basti, Varanasi, Azamgarh, and Jaunpur remain under a rain alert until 7 July. Western districts including Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and Ghaziabad are also expected to experience monsoon showers through 9 July.

Central India Under Intense Rainfall Watch

Central India is likely to witness intense rainfall across Chhattisgarh, eastern and western Madhya Pradesh, and the Vidarbha region over the coming days. Thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching speeds of up to 50 kmph are also forecast in several areas.

Context: June 2026 Among Driest on Record

The active monsoon advance comes in the wake of a historically dry pre-monsoon spell. Weather data show that June 2026 was the fifth-driest June in India since 1901, recording rainfall nearly 39% below the long-term average. Delhi's Safdarjung observatory registered only 41.8 mm of rainfall during the month — significantly below its normal June average of 74.1 mm. This makes the current monsoon advance all the more consequential for agricultural planning and reservoir levels across the north and centre of the country.

The expected showers are likely to bring relief from prevailing heat and cause a noticeable drop in daytime temperatures. Weather officials expect monsoon activity to remain vigorous across large parts of India over the next four to five days.