Southwest Monsoon hits Kerala, North East

The southwest monsoon hit Kerala and north-eastern region on Tuesday, according to the IMD officials.

New Delhi: Monsoon rains, which delivers about 70 percent of India`s annual rainfall, arrived at southern Kerala coast on Tuesday in line with forecast, a weather office source said, brightening the outlook for higher farm output and robust economic growth.

"All the required conditions have been met," a weather office source who did not wish to be named, said.

The official announcement is expected shortly, the source said.

The India Meteorological Department declares the arrival of monsoon rains only after parameters measuring consistency of rainfall over a defined geography, intensity, cloudiness and wind speed are satisfied.

As per IMD, in past 24 hours, rainfall had occurred at most places over Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, east Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands; at many places over Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh; at a few places over Jammu and Kashmir, Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Gangetic West Bengal and Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, coastal Karnataka and at isolated places over north Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, south interior Karnataka and coastal Andhra Pradesh. 

However, no significant change in maximum temperatures over the country are likely during next 2­3 days, IMD said. 

"Between June 3 to June 5, rain and thundershowers are very likely at many places over Kerala, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and northeastern states; at a few places over east India and east Madhya Pradesh; at isolated places over rest of the country outside west India," it said.

About the national capital and regions around it, IMD predicts scattered rains till Friday, June 2.

"For Delhi, there would be on and off pre-monsoon showers. By the end of June, the monsoon would formally reach Delhi and Haryana according to the current weather pattern," it said.