The skies above South Peninsular India are preparing to host the South-West monsoon, which has currently dropped anchor around Sri Lanka.

Since yesterday, the India Met Department (IMD) has located a 'shear zone of monsoon turbulence' to a height of between three km and six km in the atmosphere over the South Peninsula.

OPPOSING WINDS

The shear zone is filled by opposing winds at these heights, and represents the level in the atmosphere where the monsoon is most active.

This zone sets up the platform for rain-bearing systems (low-pressure areas/ depressions) to play around in. The shear zone would strengthen further in consonance with the approach of the monsoon.

This morning, the shear zone is visible along the latitudes linking Idukki and Ernakulam in Kerala and further east to Theni and Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu, the IMD update said.

CLOUD BANKS

Morning satellite pictures show clouds hovering along the Kerala coast from Kannur to Kochi and in Tamil Nadu from Kalpakkam and Puducherry to Kumbakonam.

Further south of the peninsular tip, heavy clouds have been spotted along the south-west coast of Sri Lanka, linking Colombo, Moratuwa, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa, Galle, and Matara.

Individual banks of clouds lie to the east and north-east of the island (and adjoining South-West Bay of Bengal) as if in wait for the monsoon signal. Clouds are comparatively sparse over the Arabian Sea.

The Sri Lankan Met Department expects the monsoon to set in over the island by tomorrow, which is the normal time line for the event.

MONSOON PROGRESS

It has warned of high winds of up to 65 km/hr along the seas and 50 km/hr over land accompanied by thundershowers and at times fairly heavy falls.

Over the Maldives atolls, clouds are seen along a north-west to south-east alignment across the central parts. The monsoon had set in here by May 16, a duty forecaster at the Met station in Male had said.

An upper air cyclonic circulation over the West Arabian Sea, mid-way between the Maldives and the African coast but far away from the Indian coast, has managed to rally round some clouds there.

Going forward, weather model expects this circulation to undergo 'some helpful transformation' to set up favourable conditions for monsoon flows in the Arabian Sea and the onset over South India.

comment COMMENT NOW