The monsoon’s movement eastward into interior Karnataka could be curtailed for a few days by cyclone Nanauk that developed in the Arabian Sea Wednesday morning, say officials at the meteorological centre here.
While the met department had earlier forecast that the monsoon would advance into south interior Karnataka, including Bangalore on Monday, the weather system remains restricted to Karnataka’s coast, where it made its onset two days ago.
Cyclone Nanauk, which is moving north-westward towards the Oman coast could disrupt the monsoon current, preventing it from moving much beyond the Arabian Sea coast into the peninsula, said B. Puttanna, director of the met centre. “But Karnataka’s coast will continue to get heavy rainfall in the next few days from the monsoon,” he said.
Only when another low pressure system develops in the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal can the monsoon current get back on track, Mr. Puttanna said. There have been earlier occasions when the onset of the monsoon has been similarly disrupted by the development of a cyclone, he added.
Rain on coastMeanwhile, several parts of the State’s coastal districts — Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi — recorded fairly heavy rain measuring between 50 to 60 mm on Wednesday. While the met centre forecasts scattered showers in several parts of south interior Karnataka, these spells of rain cannot be attributed to the monsoon, said Mr. Puttanna.
