The IMD has refused to call it a delay, but said that the progress was sluggish
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NEW DELHI: The much-awaited onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala has been delayed. The normal date is June 1. This year, the Indian Meteorological Department had predicted that the monsoon will hit Kerala on May 30.
According to Sky-met, a private forecasting agency, the monsoon arrived over Andamans on May 16, three days prior to the onset date. Since then, the advance has been slow. By May 21, the monsoon advanced over Bay of Bengal but stagnated for a week.
IMD: It’s sluggish, not delayed
The south west monsoon is yet to reach Kerala. “The Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon made very slow advance and is yet to reach the extreme southern tip (Kerala) of India. Cloud build up on either side of the sea was looking promising till a few days back. However, the cloud pattern became a little diffused and unorganised,” Skymet said.
The IMD has refused to call it a delay, but said that the progress was sluggish. “As per our forecast, there is +/- difference of four days, which is from May 27 to June 3.
“At this moment, the monsoon has entered the Arabian Sea, crossed Sri Lanka and entered the Bay of Bengal. We are closely monitoring its progress. During the progress of monsoon, it is often observed that its pace varies,” said Krishnanand Hosalikar,
( Source : dc correspondent with agency inputs )
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