Monsoon onset to miss today’s date, will arrive on June 3: IMD

NEW DELHI: The monsoon is likely to begin its onset over Kerala around June 3, two days after its normal date of arrival, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its revised forecast on Sunday. The weather department previously said that the start of the monsoon would be on May 31, a day ahead of schedule.

Monsoon rainfall is lifeblood of Asia’s third-largest economy as nearly 60% of the country’s cropped area doesn’t have irrigation coverage. IMD said last month the country was expected to get average monsoon rainfall this year, raising expectations of higher farm output.

“The southwesterly winds could strengthen further gradually from June 1, resulting in likely enhancement in rainfall activity over Kerala. Hence the monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to take place around June 3,” IMD said. The department’s director general M Mohapatra said there was cyclonic circulation along the Karnataka coast which was hindering the progress of southwest monsoon.

In its monsoon forecast on

May 14, IMD predicted that the monsoon was likely to arrive over Kerala on May 31 with a possible error margin of plus/ minus four days. After very severe storm Yaas weakened recently, scientists said that the cyclone over the Bay of Bengal helped strengthen the monsoon winds. But rainfall stopped and no heavy rain has been recorded over Kerala since then.

The southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around June 1. It advances northwards, and covers the entire country by around July 5.