South west monsoon sets IN

Thiruvananthapuram, May 31

Southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala on Saturday, two days later than predicted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), but a day earlier than the normal for onset over the southwest coast.

An IMD update on Saturday said the monsoon has covered most parts of south Arabian Sea and Kerala, parts of Tamil Nadu and southwest and west-central Bay of Bengal.

Rainfall occurred at most places over Kerala and at a few places over Lakshadweep, coastal and south interior Karnataka. Isolated rainfall occurred over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and north interior Karnataka.

The rainfall along the west coast is expected to get more organised during the first two weeks of June under the influence of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a wave of anomalous precipitation passing from West Africa into the Indian Ocean and further east into the west Pacific.

On Saturday, the northern limit of monsoon passed through Kozhikode (north Kerala) and Tiruchi (Tamil Nadu). Conditions are favourable for its further advance into more parts of Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Kerala and more parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bay of Bengal and the North-East States during the next three days.

The offshore trough extending along the Karnataka-Kerala coast persisted on Saturday. An east-west shear zone of monsoon turbulence ran across the extreme south peninsula.

A warning issued by the IMD said isolated heavy rain is likely to occur over coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep during the next two days. Squally weather with wind speeds reaching 45-55 km/hour is likely along and off the Kerala coast and over Lakshadweep area during the next two days.