Monsoon covers entire India 6 days ahead of schedule: IMD

The southwest monsoon has covered the entire country six days ahead of the normal date despite making sluggish progress during midJune the India Meteorological Department IMD said on TuesdayThe southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Rajasthan Haryana and Punjab today Thus it covered the entire country on July 2 2024 against the normal date of July 8 the IMD said in a statementThe monsoon arrived in Kerala and the northeastern region on May 30 two and six days earlier than usualIt progressed normally up to Maharashtra but lost momentum in between extending the wait for rains in West Bengal Bihar Uttar Pradesh Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and worsening the impact of a scorching heat wave in northwest IndiaThe country recorded 16 days of belownormal rainfall activity from June 11 to June 27 leading to overall belownormal precipitation in June with 1472 mm of rainfall against a normal of 1653 mm for the month the seventh lowest since 2001June rainfall accounts for 15 per cent of the total precipitation of 87 cm recorded during the fourmonth monsoon season in the countryTypically the southwest monsoon makes its onset over Kerala by June 1 and covers the entire country by July 8 It starts retreating from northwest India around September 17 withdrawing entirely by October 15 IMD data shows this is the third consecutive year that the monsoon has covered the entire country ahead of schedule Monsoon rains covered all of the country on July 2 in both 2022 and 2021 Since 2011 the monsoon has covered the country earlier than the usual date seven timesLast year the monsoon rolled into Kerala on June 8 which was seven days behind the normal date and covered the entire country by July 2 six days early Monsoon withdrawal began in west Rajasthan on September 25 with an eightday delayThe IMD on Tuesday said the monsoon will remain active over northwest east and northeast India during the next four to five daysIsolated very heavy rainfall is expected over Bihar Arunachal Pradesh Assam and Meghalaya subHimalayan West Bengal Sikkim Nagaland Manipur Mizoram and Tripura during July 2ndash6 Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh Assam and Meghalaya on July 56Goa Madhya Maharashtra parts of Gujarat and coastal Karnataka could experience a few spells of very heavy rain during this period the Met office saidThe weather department on Monday said India could experience abovenormal rainfall in July with heavy rains potentially leading to floods in the western Himalayan states and river basins in the central parts of the countryThe northeastern states are already grappling with severe floods Assams flood situation remains critical with over 671 lakh people affected in 20 districts in the second wave of flooding this year Heavy rainfall in Manipur and Mizoram has caused rivers to reach warning levels and triggered landslidesThe year 2023 saw devastating floods in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in July and August and in the Teesta river in the eastern Himalayas in October despite belowaverage rainfallThe IMD had earlier forecast abovenormal rainfall during the 2024 monsoon season in India with cumulative precipitation estimated at 106 per cent of the longperiod average of 87 cmHowever normal cumulative rainfall over the country during the monsoon season doesnt mean even spatial and temporal spread of precipitationThe Indian monsoon is characterized by inherent fluctuations and changes that occur over time due to various natural factors This is called natural variability However research shows climate change is making the monsoon more variable Increased variability means more extreme weather and dry spellsAccording to the IMD belownormal rainfall is expected in northeast India during the entire season normal in the northwest and abovenormal in central and south peninsular regions of the countryIndias core monsoon zone covering most of the rainfed agricultural areas in the country is predicted to receive abovenormal rainfall this season the Met office saidThe monsoon is critical for Indias agricultural landscape with 52 per cent of the net cultivated area relying on it The primary rainbearing system is also crucial for replenishing reservoirs critical for drinking water and power generation across the countryJune and July are considered the most important monsoon months for agriculture as most of the sowing for the Kharif crops takes place during this periodIMD officials have said La Nina conditions may set in by AugustEl Nino the periodic warming of surface waters in the central Pacific Ocean is associated with weaker monsoon winds and drier conditions in India La Nina the antithesis of El Nino leads to plentiful rainfall during the monsoon season PTI GVS GVS KVK KVKThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever