Monsoon covers Andamans a week in advance, says IMD

HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon has covered the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands a week in advance and is likely to cause widespread rainfall over the region in the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.

The monsoon is expected to arrive at least a week early in Kerala, marking its onset over the Indian mainland; it usually arrives in Kerala on June 1.

“Monsoon winds are strong over Andaman region and there are very good pre-monsoon showers over Kerala and Karnataka which will continue. There is a cyclonic circulation over Kerala and in the neighbouring areas. The onset over Kerala as forecast will be early,” Mahesh Palawat, vice president, climate change and meteorology, Skymet Weather, said.

The southwest monsoon, which arrived over the islands on May 16, has advanced into remaining parts of the region, the entire Andaman sea, east central Bay of Bengal and more parts of south Bay of Bengal. Due to a strong cross equatorial flow from Bay of Bengal to Andaman Sea in lower tropospheric levels, widespread rainfall is likely over the islands in the next five days, IMD added.

Conditions are also becoming

Tracking the monsoon

favourable for further advancement of monsoon into other parts of south and central Bay of Bengal and some parts of south Arabian Sea in the next two to three days. Isolated heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the next four days, it said.

Meanwhile, heatwave conditions are likely to prevail over northwest and central India for the next two to three days, the weather body said.