New Delhi: The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala. It marks the commencement of the four-month long rainfall season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Monday. The monsoons will certainly bring some relief to the parched lands.
Rainfall distribution
North India is likely to get ‘above normal’ rainfall. Central India and the southern peninsula will receive ‘normal’ rainfall, the IMD said in a release. However, east and northeast India are likely to receive less rainfall than other parts of the country
“The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala,” IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. The four-month monsoon season from June to September accounts for 75 per cent of rainfall in India. The four-month rainy season is also crucial for the India’s farm-dependent economy.
Private forecaster Skymet Weather on May 30 had declared arrival of monsoon. However, the IMD had differed. It said conditions were not ripe then for such an announcement.
Importance of monsoons
The IMD declares the arrival of monsoon rains only after parameters measuring consistency of rainfall over a defined geography, intensity, cloudiness and wind speed are satisfied.
Rains usually lash Kerala from around June 1 and cover the whole country by mid-July. Timely rains trigger the planting of crops such as rice, soybeans and cotton.
Agencies