The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday officially declared the onset of the Southwest Monsoon over Kerala, marking the beginning of the country’s four-month rainy season.
The monsoon arrived on June 4, three days later than its normal onset date of June 1. According to the weather department, the monsoon has covered the entire state of Kerala, Lakshadweep and Mahe, while also advancing over the remaining parts of the southwest and southeast Arabian Sea.
The IMD said conditions remain favourable for the further advance of the monsoon over the next two to three days. It is expected to progress into more parts of the central Arabian Sea, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, as well as additional areas of the Bay of Bengal and the northeastern states.
The weather department attributed the onset to increased convective cloud activity over the southeast Arabian Sea and strengthening westerly winds in the lower atmospheric levels. Widespread rainfall, including isolated heavy showers, has been recorded across Kerala during the past two days.
The IMD has forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall, ranging between 7 cm and 20 cm, over Kerala during the next six to seven days. Isolated heavy rainfall is also likely over parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka during the same period.
The arrival of the monsoon is closely watched as it plays a crucial role in India’s agriculture sector, water resources and overall economy. The seasonal rains provide nearly 70 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall and support the cultivation of key kharif crops.
Meanwhile, the IMD has projected that India is likely to receive rainfall amounting to around 90 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) during the monsoon season this year.
In the national capital, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 29.7 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The weather office has issued a yellow alert for rain and thunderstorms in the city.
-ANI
