Monsoon to hit Mumbai in next 48 hours: IMD

Jaipur: The south-west monsoon would touch Mumbai during next 48 hours, Indian Meteorological Department said on Friday, predicting a normal monsoon with overall 98 per cent rainfall in the country this year.

Due to adequate humidity, the speed of the monsoon is normal, DG, IMD, Laxman Singh Rathor said. A detailed prediction will be made next week, Rathor said. After touching Mumbai in the next 48 hours, monsoon is expected to enter Rajasthan three-four days ahead of schedule, he said. "The normal timing of the arrival of monsoon in Rajasthan is third week of June, but this year it is expected to hit three-four days in advance," he said. For better weather predictions, IMD will install doplar radars in Kota, Jaisalmer and Sriganganagar in Rajasthan, he said. Rathor said IMD is planning to provide weather forecast service for farmers at block level with the cooperation of agriculture department of the state during the 12th Five Year Plan. After arriving over Kerala, monsoon moves gradually to cover the entire country by mid-July. Monsoon, the four-month rainfall season, is crucial for kharif crops like rice, soyabean, cotton and maize as almost 60 per cent of the farm land in the country is rain-fed. The south-west monsoon had touched Andaman Sea and parts of Bay of Bengal on May 17, three days before the normal onset date. Last year, the monsoon had touched the whole country by July 11, four days in advance. Ahead of its mid-quarter policy on June 17, RBI today said its monetary actions in the coming months will be determined by the "monsoon outlook". RBI Governor D Subbarao said in Hyderabad, "...Most importantly we also chase monsoon like millions of farmers across the country. So, the monsoon outlook, the monsoon performance is going to be the important factor in determining the RBI policy in the next three months." PTI