Thiruvananthapuram: The four-month rainfall season in Kerala is nearly set to begin as southwest monsoon is likely to arrive over Kerala around May 31, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. This rainfall season is crucial for the country's farm-based economy. The IMD said that this is not early and the monsoon would most likely be arriving close to its normal date only.
"This year, the Southwest Monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on May 31 with a model error of four days," the IMD said, quoted news agency PTI.
"This is not early; it's close to the normal date," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra was quoted as saying by PTI.
As per the weatherman's data, the date of onset of monsoon over Kerala has largely varied over the last 150 years. The earliest the monsoon arrived was on May 11, 1918, and the most delayed being June 18, 1972, according to IMD data, reported PTI.
IMD had last month predicted above-normal rain in the monsoon season in India with favourable La Niña conditions that are expected to set in by August-September. People have been facing wrath of scorching hear with part of the country witnessing brutally hot April, with maximum temperatures breaking records in several states and impacting health and livelihoods.
The agency mentioned that the increasing heat is putting power grids under severe strain and drying up water bodies triggering drought-like conditions in parts of the country.
The monsoon is season is considered critical for India's agricultural sector as nearly 52 per cent of the net cultivated area rely on it, the report added. The rainfall during this time is also important to replenish reservoirs critical for drinking water and for power generation across the country.
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 time. However, for the last few years, the monsoon has been showing varied patterns across the country.
Scientists say that El Nino conditions are prevailing at present, and La Nina may set in by August-September.
El Nino is the periodic warming of surface waters in the central Pacific Ocean and is associated with weaker monsoon winds and drier conditions in India.
La Nina is the antithesis of El Nino and leads to plentiful rainfall during the monsoon season.
Apart from these, the IMD is also anticipating the development of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) or cooler-than-normal Indian Ocean in the east compared to the west as it aids bring rain to several states in southern part of the country. The IOD is currently 'neutral' and is expected to turn positive by August, as per PTI.
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