New Delhi: Monsoon was supposed to hit Kerala on Sunday but it has not started and the India Meteorological Department has predicted a further delay of three to four days. The southwest monsoon usually hits Kerala on June 1, and its onset can be seven days earlier or seven days later. In mid-May, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the monsoon could hit Kerala by June 4.
Conditions are becoming favorable with an increase in westerly winds over the South Arabian Sea, the IMD said in a statement on Sunday. Simultaneously, the depth of the westerlies is gradually increasing and today, on 4th June, the depth of the westerlies reached 2.1 km above mean sea level.
The cloud mass is also increasing over the Southeast Arabian Sea, the IMD said. We expect these favorable conditions for the onset of Monsoon over Kerala to improve further during the next 3-4 days. This is being continuously monitored and further updates will be provided tomorrow (Monday).
However, this delay in the onset of monsoon is not likely to impact kharif sowing and total rainfall in the country, scientists said. The southeast monsoon reached Kerala on May 29, 2021, last year.
The IMD had earlier said India is expected to receive normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season despite the development of El Nino conditions. Normal to less than normal rainfall is expected over Northwest India.
