The Financial Express (Delhi Edition)
SEASON’S GREETINGS
Also enters most parts of TN, some parts of south interior Karnataka
AFTER a delay of almost seven days, the southwest monsoon on Wednesday finally hit Kerala, marking the official commencement of the rainy season in the country, as heavy showers in the southern state left one person dead.
“Southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala and Lakshadweep,” said K Santosh, head of the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) T hi ru van ant ha pu ram regional centre.
It has also advanced into most parts of Tamil Nadu, some parts of south interior Karnataka and the remaining parts of the south Bay of Bengal, according to IMD. Several parts of Kerala have been receiving heavy rains since Tuesday night, which left a 36-year-old man dead due to a landslip in Kerala’s Idukki district.
Jobi John died and his mother was seriously injured when mounds of earth and rocks fell on their home following heavy rains at Vazhavara early on Wednesday, police said.
To declare the onset of the monsoon over Kerala, the IMD has three important parameters. The 14 stations at which the rainfall is being monitored for declaring the monsoon’s onset over Kerala have reported widespread rainfall for the last 48 hours with more than 60% of stations recording rainfall on June 7 and 8. Westerly/ westsouthwesterly wind soft he order of 30-40 kmph were observed up to 600 Hpa (approximately up to 4.5 km) over the south Arabian Sea.
The INSAT-3D satellite derived outgoing longwave radiation value was less than 200 W/m2 on June 8.
“All these three conditions got fulfilled for the first time today i.e. June 8, since the monitoring was started by IMD from May 10. As a result, the southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala on Wednesday.
“The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of the south Arabian Sea, the Maldives Comorin area, most parts of Kerala and Tamil Na du, some parts of south interior Karnataka, the remaining parts of south Bay of Bengal and some more parts of central Bay of Bengal,” the IMD said.
The I MD, in its initial forecast, had said that the monsoonwill hit Kerala on June 7. It had on Tuesday said that the onset of the monsoon will be by June 9 Thursday). The usual date for the onset of the monsoon is June 1.