Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

Monsoon to hit Kerala on June 1 on time: Official

- Jayashree Nandi letters@hindustant­imes.com

NEW DELHI: The monsoon is expected to arrive on time in Kerala around June 1, a top official said on Thursday, citing an early indication about a key variable in the health of the rural economy.

India receives about 70% of its annual rainfall during the fourmonth rainy season, which begins first in Kerala around June 1. The monsoon covers the rest of the country by mid-july. It is crucial for the country’s farmdepend­ent economy and for rice, soybeans, and cotton cultivatio­n. The arrival of the monsoon is announced on the basis of factors such as wind speed, consistenc­y of rainfall, intensity, and cloudiness.

“Extended range forecast suggests monsoon will arrive over Kerala on time, around June 1.

M RAJEEVAN, secretary, ministry of earth sciences

This is an early indication. @indiametde­pt [The India Meteorolog­ical Department] official monsoon forecast on May 15 and rainfall forecast update around May 31,” tweeted earth sciences ministry secretary M Rajeevan.

“Early analysis indicates monsoon will arrive around June 1 over Kerala. Like we have projected earlier it’s likely to be a normal monsoon this year.”

Early analysis indicates monsoon will arrive around June 1 over Kerala... it’s likely to be a normal monsoon this year

NEW DELHI: The monsoon is expected to arrive on time in Kerala around June 1, a top official said on Thursday, citing an early indication about a key variable in the health of the rural economy.

India receives about 70% of its annual rainfall during the fourmonth rainy season, which begins first in Kerala around June 1.

The monsoon covers the rest of the country by mid-july. It is crucial for the country’s farmdepend­ent economy and for rice, soybeans, and cotton cultivatio­n.

The arrival of the monsoon is announced on the basis of factors such as wind speed, consistthi­s

M RAJEEVAN, of earth sciences

Secy, ministry

ency of rainfall, intensity, and cloudiness.

“Extended range forecast suggests monsoon will arrive over Kerala on time, around June 1. is an early indication. @indiametde­pt [The India Meteorolog­ical Department] official monsoon forecast on May 15 and rainfall forecast update around May 31,” tweeted earth sciences ministry secretary M Rajeevan.

“Early analysis indicates monsoon will arrive around June 1 over Kerala. Like we have projected earlier it’s likely to be a normal monsoon this year.”

The India Meteorolog­ical Department will on May 15 issue an update to its April monsoon forecast and that for rainfall in June on May 31.

In its long-range forecast, IMD on April 16 said the annual monsoon rains are likely to be normal at around 98% of the long period average (LPA) after two years of above-average rainfall.

It added there could be a variation of 5% over or under the prediction.

Private weather forecastin­g agency Skymet Weather’s assessment earlier in April said that monsoon is likely to be a “healthy normal” at 103%. IMD’S forecast indicated it at the lower end of its normal LPA range. The LPA is the average rainfall (88cm) recorded from 1961 to 2010. Rainfall between 94-106% is considered “normal”.

India has recorded above-average monsoon rains for two consecutiv­e years.

A normal monsoon this year will significan­tly help the agricultur­e sector. Good rains have been a prime reason for the farm sector’s resilience for two years despite the pandemic. Extended range forecast suggests monsoon will arrive over Kerala on time, around June 1. This is an early indication. @indiametde­pt

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