Monsoon keeps its date with Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: It is now official. Indian Meteorological Department declared the arrival of southwest monsoon over the state on May 30. Parameters that were found inadequate even on May 29 – wind speed, rainfall spread, radiation – have suddenly been satisfied in the state. Rainfall, which was intense only in the southern parts till the other day, began to spread to districts beyond Thrissur on May 30. An IMD release said 78 percent of monitoring stations for the monsoon onset over Kerala had reported rainfall for the last 48 hours. The westerly winds have gathered speed.

“It has strengthened in the lower levels (up to 20 knots) and deepened (up to 4 km) over the southern latitudes. Westerly and westsouthwesterly winds were observed approximately up to 4.5 km over the south Arabian Sea,” the IMD release said. The Satellite (INSAT-3D) derived Outgoing Long wave Radiation (the energy radiating from the Earth as infrared radiation at low energy to space) over the region is less than 200 watt per metre square. Even on May 29, it was above the desired level as northern districts were yet to receive adequate rainfall.
The prompt arrival of monsoon is virtual redemption for a state that was in a grip of an intense drought during the last three months. Last time, both the southwest and northeast monsoons failed like never before. While the southwest was 34 percent deficient, the northeast was 65 percent deficient.