Monsoon Takes a Break in South Peninsula

Visakhapatnam: The Southwest monsoon, which arrived early this year over Kerala, is taking a short break in the south peninsula for the next three to four days, according to Skymet, a private weather agency, on Sunday. While the rest of the country gears up for active to vigorous monsoon activity, states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, interior Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu to experience a significant decrease in rainfall.

This comes despite a surplus monsoon for the south peninsula so far this season. As of June 29, the national rainfall deficit stood at 14 per cent. While Northwest, East, Northeast and Central India are facing rain deficiency, south boasts a surplus of 14 per cent. Andhra Pradesh received a surplus of 58 per cent. However, this surplus is likely to be short-lived due to the upcoming dry spell.

The upcoming dry spell is expected to hit South hard, particularly states like Kerala and coastal Karnataka, which are currently deficient in rainfall despite being part of the surplus south peninsula. This is because the reduced rainfall in these regions will significantly eat away the overall surplus.

While some marginal increase in rain is expected over the south peninsula from July 5 onwards, it is unlikely to be enough to meet the daily average rainfall. This means that the next week could be challenging for south in terms of receiving adequate monsoon showers.

According to Skymet, the rest of the country can expect a period of active to vigorous monsoon activity. This includes the North, Central and eastern parts of India, along with the west coast. This is likely to bring much-needed relief to regions facing rain deficiencies. Overall, the upcoming week will see a shift in monsoon activity across India. While the South takes a break, the North, Central and eastern parts gear up for a period of significant rainfall.

Director of IMD Amaravati said there would be moderate rainfall on Monday and thereafter the rainfall would decrease for a few days.