The southwest monsoon has finally arrived over Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday adding that it was delayed by three days this year. However, the IMD suggests that the delay is within the standard deviation.
"The Southwest Monsoon is delayed by three days as the normal date of onset of monsoon over Kerala is June 1 with a standard deviation of seven days. Thus, the delay by three days is within the standard deviation," said Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at the India Meteorological Department, NDTV reported.
The monsoon will now also advance in some more parts of southwest, westcentral, eastcentral and northeast Bay of Bengal, and the remaining parts of southeast Bay of Bengal.
Heavy Rains Lash Kerala
Heavy rains lashed various parts of Kerala since the previous night prompting the IMD to issue an orange alert in three districts viz Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts for three hours on June 4 morning.
The weather agency said that thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and maximum surface wind speeds reaching 40 kilometers per hour were likely in parts of the state.
Besides that, the IMD predicted thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and maximum surface wind speed reaching 40 kmph are likely to occur in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Thrissur districts.
It had earlier issued an orange alert in eight districts of the state for Thursday when the monsoons are expected to hit the state. An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm.
ALSO READ: Kerala Rains: IMD Issues Orange Alert For Many Districts; Check Weather Forecast
IMD Predicts 90% LPA This Year
The IMD stated that India is expected to see 90% of the long period average (LPA) this year. LPA refers to the rainfall recorded over a particular region for a given interval, such as a month or a season, averaged over a long period of time, typically 30 to 50 years. The LPA of seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole, based on data from 1971 to 2020, is 87 cm. If the monsoon season sees less than 90% of LPA rainfall, the IMD classifies it as "deficient".
One reason for the below-normal rainfall could be the emergence of El-Nino conditions, which lead to less rain during monsoon in the country. Currently, neutral El Nino-Southern Oscillation conditions are transitioning towards El-Nino conditions over the equatorial Pacific region. The IMD said El-Nino conditions are likely to be weak in June, and moderate to strong in September.
ALSO READ: Super El Nino Warning: Scorching Heat, Weaker Monsoon Ahead — What It Means For India
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.