The southwest monsoon, now on slow retreat from the subcontinent, climbed to an active phase over Kerala causing widespread rainfall on Sunday.
Hot, humid conditions in the morning followed by heavy build-up of rainclouds in the afternoon and thundershowers in the evening have been the weather pattern in the State during the past couple of days.
The wind flow from the southwest is beginning to stall and a cyclonic circulation has been persisting over the Comorin-Lakshadweep area for the last three-four days, piling up rainclouds over the State and causing widespread downpour. The prospects are in favour of widespread to fairly widespread rainfall over the State on Monday, with heavy downpour in isolated places.
India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its bulletin on Sunday, said the monsoon had “further withdrawn from remaining parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, East Rajasthan; some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Saurashtra; most parts of west Uttar Pradesh and some more parts of Gujarat region, Kutch and north Arabian Sea”.
The IMD said conditions were favourable for the further withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from remaining parts of northwest India and some more parts of west and central India during the next two-three days.
Heavy rainfall reports during the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday came from Nedumbassery (9 cm), Perumbaavur (8 cm) and Kodungallur and Chalakudy (7 cm each). Most of the rain gauge stations in the State reported rainfall. Till Sunday (September 28), the State had received a cumulative rainfall of 2,136.4 mm this season beginning from June 1, against a normal of 2,016.9 mm for the period. The excess rainfall received comes to six per cent.