New Delhi: The southwest monsoon has arrived over the Kerala coast, two days ahead of the onset date of 1 June, marking the start of the four-month season, private weather forecaster Skymet announced on Saturday (May 30). The country receives 75 per cent of the rainfall from June to September.
“#JUSTIN Southwest #Monsoon2020 finally arrived on the mainland of India, #Monsoon arrived on Kerala before the actual onset date. All the onset conditions including rainfall, OLR value, wind speed, are met. Finally, the 4-month long festival begins for Indian. #HappyMonsoon (sic),” the private forecaster tweeted.
However, state-owned India Meteorological Department (IMD) doesn’t agree with Skymet prediction and stated conditions are not yet ripe for the declaration.
Skymet had predicted that monsoon will hit Kerala on May 28 with an error margin of plus or minus 2 days. Whereas, IMD had said the monsoon will make an onset over Kerala on June 5, four days after its normal onset date. However, later it said a cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal will help in the advancement of the monsoon and it could reach Kerala on June 1, its normal onset date.
“Under the influence of likely formation of the low-pressure system over the southeast-east-central Arabian Sea, conditions will become favourable from June 1, 2020 for the onset of Southwest Monsoon over Kerala,” a statement from IMD said today.
In the meantime, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray directed all departments and local bodies to be well-prepared for the monsoon, especially Mumbai and the Konkan regions of Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, which bear the brunt of heavy rains.
BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal held a series of review meetings with the civic officials besides the Central Railway and Western Railway officers ahead of the rains, while the IMD has given a briefing to the state government.
Source: Zee News