A little rain, but still no monsoon

By Saturday afternoon, But despite the promising signs, the monsoon's official arrival in the Capital was deferred yet again and the forecast slipped past its mark.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stopped short of declaring monsoon onset over Delhi and the remaining parts of the country on Saturday, saying conditions were "favourable" and the official declaration may come within the next 48 hours.

Several parts of Delhi saw light to moderate showers by late afternoon, including the southwest, south and eastern zones. The heaviest rain was recorded in Mayur Vihar (23mm), while Palam and Ayanagar logged 9.7mm and 9.2mm respectively. Other areas such as Pusa (0.5mm), Najafgarh (2.5mm), and Lodhi Road recorded only trace rainfall. Delhi's base station at Safdarjung — crucial for determining monsoon onset — also logged only trace rain between 8.30am and 5.30pm.

"We need Safdarjung to report widespread rain to declare onset. We will look at the 24-hour rainfall data for the region as a whole, including west Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh to declare further onset," an IMD official said, adding that the monsoon was moving towards Delhi from western Uttar Pradesh.