New Delhi, 29 June

The monsoon on Sunday covered Delhi two days after the normal date of 27 June and advanced over the remaining parts of the country nine days before the usual date of 8 July, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

According to IMD data, this is the earliest the monsoon has covered the entire country since 2020, when it did so by 26 June.

"The monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of Rajasthan, west Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and entire Delhi today, 29 June, 2025," the IMD said in a statement.

It said that heavy to very heavy rain is likely to continue in many parts of northwest, central, east and northeast India over the next seven days.

Extremely heavy rain may occur in some areas of Jharkhand on 29 June and 30 and in Odisha on 29 June, the weather department added.

The rain-bearing system usually makes its onset over Kerala by 1 June  and covers the entire country by 8 July . It starts retreating from northwest India around 17 September  and withdraws completely by 15 October.

This year, the monsoon reached Kerala on 24 May, its earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it arrived on 23 May.

Supported by strong low-pressure systems over the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the monsoon advanced rapidly over the next few days, covering areas up to central Maharashtra, including Mumbai and the entire northeast by 29 May.

However, this was followed by a prolonged stagnation of around 18 days, from 29 May to 16 June.

Though it gradually covered the remaining parts of the country in the days that followed, its arrival in Delhi and adjoining areas was delayed due to anti-cyclonic winds over the region that hindered the flow of monsoon currents.

The monsoon reached Delhi on 28 June last year, 25 June in 2023, 30 June in 2022, 13 July in 2021 and 25 June in 2020. The system covered the entire country by 2 July in 2024, 2023 and 2022; 13 July in 2021 and 26 June in 2020.

In May, the IMD had forecast that India is likely to receive 106 per cent of the long-period average rainfall of 87cm during the June-September monsoon season. Rainfall between 96 and 104 per cent of this 50-year average is considered 'normal'.

Above-normal rainfall is expected in most parts of the country, except Ladakh, adjoining areas of Himachal Pradesh, the northeast and some parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.

Some isolated areas in Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu may record below-normal rainfall. The monsoon is crucial for India's agriculture sector, which supports the livelihood of around 42 per cent of the population and contributes 18.2 per cent to the GDP. It also plays a key role in replenishing reservoirs essential for drinking water and power generation.