Southwest monsoon to hit Andaman on May 15, early onset over Kerala likely

The Southwest monsoon is set to arrive early with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands expected to receive first seasonal showers on May 15, the weather office said on Thursday.

"Southwest Monsoon is likely to advance into South Andaman Sea & adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal around 15th May, 2022," the India meteorological department said in a statement in New Delhi.

"Normally, monsoon advances over Nicobar Islands on May 15 and covers Mayabunder, the extreme north point in the Andaman islands by May 22," India meteorological department director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told PTI.

He said the weather office has forecast rainfall over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands over the next five days and fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms, gusty winds and lightning over Kerala-Mahe and Lakshadweep over the next five days.

"India meteorological department extended range forecasts have consistently suggested favourable conditions for an early monsoon onset over Kerala and its northward movement," Madhavan Rajeevan, former secretary, ministry of earth sciences and an avid monsoon researcher, said on Twitter.

The IMD is scheduled to issue an update to its monsoon forecast over the weekend.

While the onset of monsoon over the Andaman and Nicobar islands signals the arrival of the four-month rainy season, the arrival of rains over Kerala is the most-watched event for weather watchers.

The normal date for onset of monsoon over Kerala is June 1.

The weather office said fairly widespread to widespread light/moderate rainfall is very likely over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the next five days.

The archipelago is very likely to experience isolated heavy falls over the region from May 14 to May 16. It said squally weather with wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph to 60 kmph was also likely over South Andaman Sea on May 15 and May 16.

Meanwhile, most parts of north India experienced scorching summers with maximum temperatures touching 48 degrees Celsius in Barmer in Rajasthan on Thursday.

At least 29 cities across Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra reported temperatures in excess of 44 degrees Celsius.

Barmer was the hottest with a maximum temperature of 48.1 degrees, followed by Ganganagar (47.3), Bikaner and Jaisalmer (47.2), Churu (46.9), Kota (46.7), Khargone (46.4), Rajgarh and Jodhpur (46).

The weather office has said that no significant change in maximum temperatures was very likely over Northwest India during the next three days and the mercury could fall by 2-3 degrees Celsius thereafter.