With the weakening of the cyclonic circulation over the Arabian Sea, the conditions are becoming favourable for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala.
According to a weather bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department on Sunday, the southwest monsoon advanced into some more parts of the southwest, central and the northeast Bay of Bengal on Sunday.
In the meantime, the cyclonic storm Remal has now intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and lay centred over the North Bay of Bengal, about 260 km south-southwest of Khepupara (Bangladesh), 310 km south of Mongla (Bangladesh), 240 km south-southeast of Sagar Islands (West Bengal), and 280 km south-southeast of Canning (West Bengal).
Currently, maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph prevails around the cyclone centre. It is very likely to continue to move nearly northwards, intensify further and cross Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts between Sagar Island and Khepupara, close to southwest of Mongla (Bangladesh) by midnight of Sunday as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 110-120 km/ph gusting to 135 kmph, said the IMD bulletin.
With the cyclone detaching from the existing cloud mass in line with the dissipation of the system, the conditions are expected to become favourable for the onset of monsoon over Kerala. According to the IMD forecast, the monsoon is expected to hit Kerala on May 29, three days ahead of its normal date of onset on India’s mainland. Though the rain has abated, the State is likely to witness thundershowers at many places in the coming days.
Karumadi in Alapuzha recorded the highest rainfall of 5 cm in 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday followed by Kanjirappally in Kottayam and Paripalli and Chavara in Kollam (4 cm).
