Monsoon Hits Kerala Coast, Says IMD
Coincidentally, In 2016 too, the monsoon season began on the same day.
After a week’s delay, monsoon hit the Kerala coast on Saturday, marking the official commencement of the four-month rainfall season in the country.
"Monsoon has made an onset over Kerala today (June 8)," said India Meteorological Department's Director General-designate Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. Several parts of Kerala have started receiving a good amount of rainfall, he added.
The news will augur well for the country as large parts have been witnessing agriculture distress and water levels in reservoirs in west and south India have dipped to low levels. Most of rural India depends on the four-month monsoon season, which accounts for 75 percent of the annual rainfall, due to a lack of adequate alternative source of irrigation. A good monsoon has a direct impact on the economy as agriculture remains the major contributor to India's GDP.
The north Indian plains, central India and parts of south India have been recording temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius. The mercury soared to over 50 degrees in parts of Rajasthan.
On Thursday, IMD said the arrival of monsoon in Delhi is likely to be delayed by two-three days from its usual onset on June 29. However, Skymet said it may take at least a week longer.
The city is likely to receive normal monsoon. Northwest India too is likely to have normal monsoon.
The IMD declares onset of monsoon over Kerala if after May 10, sixty per cent of the available 14 stations Minicoy, Amini, Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur, Kollam, Allapuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur, Kudulu and Mangalore report rainfall of 2.5 millimetres or more for two consecutive days.
This is one of the important parameters to declare the onset of monsoon. The other two factors are speed of the westerlies and long-wave radiation.
In 2016, monsoon arrived on the same day.
The IMD has made a forecast of 96 percent of the Long Period Average which falls on the border of normal and below normal rainfall. The LPA of the season rainfall over the country as a whole for the period 1951-2000 is 89 cm.
It has, however, maintained monsoon will be normal for 2019.