Delhi and its adjoining areas received heavy rainfall on Thursday morning, bringing relief to the residents of the national capital from sweltering heat and humidity.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted cloudy skies and intermittent rain, accompanied by gusty winds, over the next seven days.

According to IMD, moderate rainfall is expected in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Western Rajasthan.

Heavy rainfall is likely in Assam, Meghalaya, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and Bihar.

The weather agency has forecasted heavy rainfall until June 30 in Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Eastern Rajasthan, Eastern and Western Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. Meanwhile, Western Rajasthan, Punjab, Eastern Rajasthan, and Northern Madhya Pradesh are likely to see maximum temperatures ranging between 40 to 43 degrees Celsius, which is 2 to 4 degrees Celsius above normal.

Due to a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal, several regions in Odisha are expected to receive heavy rainfall over the next three days. The IMD has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in areas such as Gajapati, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Balangir, Nuapada, Malkangiri, and Koraput districts.

Schools and colleges in six districts of Kerala are closed today due to heavy rainfall warnings. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Wayanad and Kannur, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next few days.

The monsoon is expected to advance further into northwest India, promising more rain and much-needed relief from the heat for many regions.