Monsoon arrives in Kerala: IMD

Vibha Sharma

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 1

India’s official forecaster India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday declared the onset of monsoon over Kerala, two days after private agency Skymet said it had arrived.

The southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on Monday, coinciding with its normal date, the IMD said. Over the landmass, the northern limit of monsoon (NLM) passes through Coonoor, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari.

Widespread rainfall occurred in Kerala in the last two days. More than 70% of the 14 rainfall monitoring stations for monsoon onset over Kerala have reported rainfall during the last 48 hours, according to the IMD.

Also read IMD upgrades 2020 monsoon forecast to 102 per cent of LPA

Westerly winds have strengthened in the lower levels (wind speed up to 20 knots) and deepened up to 4.5 km over the south Arabian Sea and there is persistent convection.

In addition, a low pressure area formed over southeast and adjoining eastcentral Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep area on Sunday which intensified into a depression sea Monday morning.

For declaration of monsoon over Kerala certain criteria needs to be met. These include rainfall after May 10. If 60% of the available 14 stations in the list that include Minicoy, Amini, Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur, Kollam, Alapuzha, Kottayam, Kochi,  Vellanikkara (Thrissur), Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur, Kudulu (Kasargod) and Mangaluru report rainfall of 2.5 mm or more for two consecutive days, the onset over Kerala be declared on the second, provided other criteria are also in concurrence.

Other conditions include the wind speed and OLR. Notably, though Skymet said monsoon had arrived over southernmost tip of India on Saturday, the IMD said conditions were not ripe for an official declaration of onset over mainland.