Monsoon arrives 3 days early at Nicobar Islands

RAINY DAYS: The normal onset date over Kerala, termed as the official arrival of the seasonal rainfall, is June 1

NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon has covered the Nicobar Islands and the entire south Andaman Sea, three days ahead of its normal onset date, the IMD said on Sunday.

“In view of the strengthening and deepening of southwesterly winds, persistent cloudiness and rainfall, southwest monsoon has advanced into some parts of southeast Bay of Bengal, Nicobar Islands, entire south Andaman Sea and parts of north Andaman Sea on Sunday,” the India Meteorological Department said.

IMD Director-General KG Ramesh, however, said it was too early to forecast whether the monsoon would hit the Kerala coast ahead of schedule.

The normal onset date over Kerala, termed as the official arrival of the seasonal rainfall in India, is June 1.

Ramesh said the prevailing conditions do not suggest that monsoon could hit Kerala early simply because it has arrived early in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The normal onset date for southwest monsoon over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is May 17. Mahesh Palawat, chief meteorologist with the Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency, said monsoon is likely to hit Kerala on June 1 with an error of onetwo days.

“Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some parts of southwest Bay of Bengal, some more parts of southeast Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Andaman Sea, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and some parts of east-central Bay of Bengal during the next 72 hours,” the IMD said.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh will witness extreme weather conditions in the next three-four days with some parts facing severe heat and some others rain or thundershowers, according to the State Disaster Management Authority.

Quoting a forecast issued by ISRO, the SDMA said there could be a rise of 3-4 degrees in maximum temperatures till May 18 in east Rayalaseema, central and south coastal AP under the influence of westerly\northwesterly winds.

Heat wave and very hot weather conditions would prevail in Kurnool, Kadapa, Chittoor, Guntur, Krishna, Prakasam and SPS Nellore districts.

Five farmers were killed after being struck by lightning in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district on Sunday, officials said.

Three others were also injured in the incident which occurred in Kalugudu village in Gummagattu ‘mandal’ (block). The farmers had taken shelter in some huts under a tree during rains. — Agencies