With rainfall activity picking up across Kerala and heavy rainfall forecast over the next two days, weathermen are divided over the onset of southwest monsoon over the State.
Though the India Meteorology Department is yet to announce the onset of monsoon over Kerala, private weather agency Skymet on Wednesday said weather conditions indicated its arrival. “It looks like the monsoon is here and has entered the Kerala coast,” said CEO Jatin Singh on the agency’s website.
Skymet has based its observation on various onset criteria, including the rainfall figures, depth of the westerly winds, zonal wind speed, and outgoing long wave radiation.
While Skymet had earlier forecast the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala between May 28 and 30, the IMD had predicted a late onset around June 7.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall exceeding 7 cm has been forecast at one or two places in Kerala till the morning of June 3.
Strong winds from northwesterly direction speed, occasionally reaching 45 to 55 kmph, are likely along and off the Kerala coast during 24 hours from 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has forecast high waves in the range of 3 to 3.2 m up to 11.30 p.m. on June 3 along the Kerala coast between Vizhinjam and Kasaragod.
