The southwest monsoon arrived over Kerala Sunday, three days ahead of its normal onset date of June 1, and is likely to reach Karnataka by June 3, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
This is only the fourth occasion since 2010 when the onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala took place before time (June 1). As per IMD records, the monsoon had arrived earlier than usual in 2010 (May 31), 2017 (May 30) and 2018 (May 29). The earliest onset over Kerala since 2005 was recorded in the year 2006, when the monsoon had arrived on May 26.
Kerala has been receiving rainfall since Saturday and 10 out of the 14 weather monitoring stations in the state have received more than 2.5 mm rains, thus fulfilling the criteria for the onset of monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala on Sunday, May 29, against the normal date of onset of June 1, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
However, while the monsoon has advanced over Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu, the Bay of Bengal arm of the weather system was sluggish as it continued to linger just above the Andaman islands.
The Extended Range Forecast issued by the IMD has suggested that the progress of the monsoon over Karnataka, Goa, and entire north-east India could be slow.
The IMD had declared the onset of monsoon over Andaman & Nicobar Islands on May 16 and had forecast rapid advance over peninsular India towards the end of May.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Sunday and Monday in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Pithoragarh districts due to heavy rain, thunderstorm, and strong winds forecast.?
According to the IMD forecast, thunderstorms accompanied by intense showers and gusty rains of 30-40 kmph speed are likely to occur in the districts during the afternoon and evening hours for two days.?
The weather is likely to remain pleasant in Delhi on Monday. The sky will be partly cloudy and there is a possibility of thunderstorms and lightning in the capital city.
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