In an announcement which marks the culmination of a long wait and proferres relief to the drought-ravaged parts of the country, the city-based Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday finally confirmed the arrival of the south-western monsoon winds over the coast of Kerala.
The southwest monsoon has advanced over Kerala, most parts of Tamil Nadu and some parts of south interior Karnataka, besides hovering over parts of south and central Bay of Bengal, stated an update issued by the Met Department. Rain has already been lashing many parts of Tamil Nadu since the last 48 hours with Chennai witnessing summer rains accompanied with lightning and thunder.
Following this, the monsoon is likely to hit the coasts of Maharashtra in another three-four days, said D.S. Pai, Director (Long Range Forecast), IMD. He, however, added that there would be a slackening in monsoon's progress in mid-June.
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The IMD’s forecast has been reasonably on-target when last month it predicted a delay in the arrival of the monsoon by a week from its usual onset date of June 1.
The Met Department reiterated its ‘above normal’ monsoon forecast for the country as a whole at 106 per cent of the long period average (LPA - calculated in India as the average of rainfall over a 50-year period, between 1951 and 2000, which is 89 cm) with a model error of plus/minus four per cent, with heavy rains predicted over northwest, central and south peninsular India.
In contrast, private forecaster Skymet has raised the monsoon forecast to 109 per cent owing to the waning effects of the El Nino climate cycle.
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The Andaman and Nicobar Islands had already felt the onset of the monsoon on May 18.
PTI adds:
The southwest monsoon, which hit Kerala on Wednesday with heavy rains, claimed the life of a 36-year-old man following a landslip in Idukki district.
Jobi John, former SFI Idukki district president, died and his mother was seriously injured when mounds of earth and rocks fell on their home following heavy rains at Vazhavara early on Wednesday, police said. However, his father escaped unhurt and informed neighbours who engaged in rescue operation. The mother’s condition is stated to be serious and she has been taken to a hospital in Kochi for expert treatment.
Southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala and Lakshadweep, said K. Santosh, head of India Meteorological Department’s regional centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
Thiruvananthapuram district authorities are taking precautionary steps like restricting flow of tourists to hill stations like Ponmudi in view of heavy rains.