A low-pressure area has sprung up over North Bay of Bengal, and it is expected to intensify into a depression by Wednesday.

This would help the process of advancement of monsoon, likely leading to its onset over the Kerala coast in due course.

The depression will pull in the monsoon current over the Arabian Sea, by prevailing over ‘rogue’ circulation based out of the waters.

PULL FORCE

India Met Department expected this system, lurking far away from Kerala coast but just skirting the Oman coast, to be active for two more days.

A top meteorologist and a former director of the Met Department cited latest predictions by a number of international models suggesting the onset to happen between June 1 and 3.

Currently, the Bay branch of monsoon seems more active with the low-pressure area.

BAY BRANCH STRONG

The latter is expected to move north-northwest and bring rains into West Bengal and adjoining States, he said. The Met Department more or less agreed saying that conditions were favourable for advance of monsoon over south-east Arabian Sea (off Kerala) area and more parts of the Bay during next three days.

Satellite cloud imagery showed convective (rain-bearing) clouds rising over Gangetic West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, North, Central and south-east Bay of Bengal, and south-east and west-central Arabian Sea.

Outlook until Friday said that rain or thundershowers may break out at many places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala and Lakshadweep and at one or two places over Karnataka, South Konkan, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in

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