Southwest monsoon on course, hits Nicobar Islands
New Delhi, May 19
Southwest monsoon on Sunday made its onset over the Nicobar Islands, the southernmost region of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said here.
The Met department said monsoon has advanced into some parts of the Maldives and Comorin areas as well. In 2023, the southwest monsoon onset over the South Andaman Sea made its onset on May 19.
Owing to a cyclonic circulation over Afghanistan and north Pakistan, light rainfall will occur in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on May 19 and 21 and Uttarakhand in the next seven days.
Last month, the IMD had predicted above-normal rain during the monsoon season in India with favourable La Nina conditions, cooling of equatorial Pacific Ocean, expected to set in by August-September. La Nina conditions help in a good monsoon season over India.
Monsoon is critical for India’s agricultural landscape, with 52 per cent of the net cultivated area relying on it. It is also crucial for replenishing reservoirs critical for drinking water. June and July are considered the most important monsoon months for agriculture as most of the sowing for the kharif crop takes place during this period.
A large part of the country is battling with heat waves. The Met department said heat wave conditions will prevail over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi from May 19 to 23, Uttarakhand (May 19 to 22), West Rajasthan (May 21 to 23), East Rajasthan (May 22 to 23) and in some parts of West Uttar Pradesh (May 19 to 21) and East Uttar Pradesh (May 19 to 20).
