SOUTHWEST MONSOON ARRIVES IN KERALA, TWO DAYS IN ADVANCE, SAYS IMD

Two days ahead of its expected arrival, the Southwest Monsoon arrived in Kerala and is making its way towards several areas of Northeast, the India Meterological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

The early onset of the Monsoon has come as a huge sigh of relief amid intense heatwave in North India.

The onset of Southwest Monsoon in Kerala is usually witnesses around June 1.

According to the weather office, India is likely to experience above-normal cumulative rainfall with La Nina conditions likely to set in by August-September.

IMD said the 2024 southwest monsoon season rainfall over the country as a whole to be above normal (>104% of the Long Period Average (LPA).

Seasonal rainfall is likely to be 106% of LPA with a model error of ± 5%. LPA of monsoon rainfall (1971-2020) is 87 cm, it added.

Notably, the normal cumulative rainfall does not guarantee uniform temporal and spatial distribution of rain across the country, with climate change further increasing the variability of the rain-bearing system.

Climate scientists say the number of rainy days is declining while heavy rain events (more rain over a short period) are increasing, leading to frequent droughts and floods.

Based on data between 1951-2023, India experienced above-normal rainfall in the monsoon season on nine occasions when La Nina followed an El Nino event, India Meteorological Department chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told a press conference.

India is likely to see above-normal rainfall in the four-month monsoon season (June to September) with cumulative rainfall estimated at 106% of the long-period average (87 cm), he said.

Mohapatra said the positive Indian Ocean Dipole conditions are predicted during the monsoon season. Also, the snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is low. These conditions are favourable for the Indian southwest monsoon.

2024-05-30T05:50:22Z dg43tfdfdgfd