The Hindu Business Line : Monsoon sets in over South Andamans

THE southwest monsoon has arrived in the South Andamans Sea and southern parts of the Southeast Bay of Bengal on Thursday, some 10 days behind schedule.

The normal date of onset in South Andamans is around May 15. The system covers North Andamans (Port Blair) by May 20, said Dr M. Rajeevan, Director - Forecasting, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune.

According to the weather update issued by the IMD, conditions are favourable for further advance of the monsoon over some more parts of the Southeast Bay and the North Andaman Sea within the next 48 hours.

From here, the caravan will cross the territorial waters and head for Sri Lanka, its last port of call prior to making the onset over the peninsular Indian coast. It normally takes a week's time for the system to traverse the distance to Sri Lanka.

The IMD's long-range forecast for this year's monsoon has already indicated that the onset on the country's southwest coast will be delayed by seven days, with a margin of error of three days on either side.

Meanwhile in Kerala, the gateway for the monsoon, patchy cloud formations and isolated heavy rainfall have been reported in separate instances.

Thodupuzha in Idukki district reported nine cm of rain during 24 hours ending Thursday morning. The dry northerlies still prevail, though weakened to some extent, keeping most of the northern districts uncomfortably warm.

Towards the other side of the peninsula, the trough of low over the South Andaman Sea and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal persisted.

An upper air cyclonic circulation over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and neighbourhood also persisted and a trough from this system extended up to Tamil Nadu.

Rain/thundershowers have been forecast at many places over the Andaman and Nicobar islands, at a few places over the rest of the region to the south of the country outside Tamil Nadu, where it may be isolated.

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