New Delhi: Monsoon rains reached Kerala on India’s southern tip on Thursday, the India Meteorology Department (IMD) said Today.
“Southwest Monsoon has set in over Kerala today against the normal date of 1st June,” the IMD said in a statement.
Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of about seven days.
The conditions are also favourable for further advance of monsoon into some more parts of the South Arabian Sea, the entire Lakshadweep, some more parts of Southwest, Central, and Northeast Bay of Bengal, and some parts of Northeastern states during the next 24 hours, the IMD said.
Monsoon is crucial, especially for Kharif crops dependent on rains. India has three cropping seasons — summer, kharif, and rabi. Crops sown during June-July and harvested in October-November are kharif. Crops that are sown during October and November and the produce harvested from January-March depending on maturity is Rabi. Crops produced between rabi and kharif are summer crops.
Meanwhile, India received 57% lower rainfall than average in the first week of June, IMD data showed after the monsoon’s onset over its southern coast was delayed by the formation of a cyclone. In the week of June 7, India received 9.9 mm of rainfall against the normal 23.1 mm, according to the IMD.
The formation of a very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea has been affecting the onset of monsoon, said a senior IMD official, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to talk to media. “Conditions are becoming favourable for monsoon onset over Kerala in the next two days,” he said.
