New Delhi: The southwest monsoon has further advanced into Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and is expected to cover Delhi and other northern states within the next two to three days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday (July 1). The announcement comes a day after the highest ‘feels-like’ temperature was recorded in the national capital, where the index spiked to 53.4°C at 5:30 pm on Tuesday (June 30), despite the actual temperature being 37.6°C, according to IMD sources quoted by Times of India.On June 30, the department reported that a low-pressure area is likely cover the northwestern region of the Bay of Bengal around July 3, 2026, resulting in active monsoon in central parts of the country this week. “Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of North Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, entire Daman & Diu, remaining parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh & Ladakh, entire Jammu & Kashmir, most parts of Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi & Punjab, and some parts of Rajasthan during next 2-3 days,” the report said.The monsoon update follows days of uncomfortable heatwave conditions in Delhi, marked by sweltering heat and humidity. The city has consistently recorded maximum temperatures higher than 40°C since Monday (June 29). Over the past 24 hours, Palam and Ridge areas of the city observed temperatures as high as 41.5°C, which were 3.2°C and 4.8°C higher than normal readings, respectively. The Safdarjung region noted a maximum temperature of 40.5°C, while temperatures remained higher than 28.6°C throughout.Meanwhile, very minimal rainfall fell in isolated parts of the city, increasing moisture levels in the already unbearable atmosphere, without providing any cooling effects.According to IMD, the southwest monsoon normally arrives in Delhi around June 27, based on the historical climatological averages collected by the department. However, monsoon has frequently evaded this timeline over the past couple of years. In 2021, monsoon reached Delhi on July 13 after a delay of more than 15 days. Similarly, rainfall is expected to commence in the latter part of this week, delaying the arrival date to around July 3 or 4.The capital has also been experiencing flooding and a breakdown of urban infrastructure in the wake of heavy monsoon rains over the last few years. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Delhi government has identified eight spots along the Yamuna river susceptible to flooding that require round-the clock monitoring during the season to prevent a repeat of 2023 and 2025.Nevertheless, the onset of monsoon in Delhi and the national capital region is expected to provide a much-needed relief from the oppressive pre-monsoon heat the area has been experiencing, bringing with it cleaner air and cooler temperatures.