The South West Monsoon touched Kerala coast on Tuesday as against the normal date of June 1. However, hot weather is likely to continue over Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh up to June 10 or till the monsoon advances.
This is because the South West Monsoon advances in ‘pulses’ and not as a ‘continuous stream’. It takes a break after travelling for about 500 km and normally takes 45 days to cover the entire country, says a retired director of India Meteorological Department (IMD) P.V. Rama Rao. The normal date for onset in Rayalaseema is June 3 and advances over central parts of Telangana and coastal AP by June 8 and covers entire region by June 13. “It may not stick to this schedule due to its pulsatory nature and there can be delay in its further advancement,” he says.
The SW Monsoon advances in two branches – Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea branches. The Bay of Bengal branch has already started and advanced into some parts. On Tuesday, a cyclone crossed the Bangladesh coast and the favourable conditions led to the further advance of the monsoon into the north east.
A monsoon trough would be formed at the meeting point of the two branches.
“The normal South West Monsoon period is from June 1 to Sept 30. But, the pulsatory nature of this monsoon makes it ‘highly unpredictable’. For example, the SW Monsoon established itself over the entire country in 15 days in 2013 as against the normal period of 45 days,” says Mr. Rama Rao.
Under favourable synoptic situation, the South West Monsoon struck the Kerala coast on May 16 in 1972 as against the normal onset date of June 1.
Sometimes, the monsoon can take a break for 10 to 15 days as it had happened in 2014. The South West Monsoon touched the Gujarat coast by June 15, took a curve and covered East Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and East UP. Thereafter, it took a break for 27 days up to July 12 for further advance over Gujarat.
