Monsoon strikes Kerala, Chennai

New Delhi, May 26 (UNI) The southwest monsoon hit the Kerala coast today, six days before its normal onset date of June 1, the India Metereological Department said.

Satellite pictures released by the IMD showed monsoon active over a swathe of south India. The northern limit of monsoon passed through Cochin to Chennai.

''In view of persistent strong and deep southwesterly flow over south Arabian Sea, development of an off-shore trough off Kerala-Karnataka coast, appearance of an east-west shear zone from Bay of Bengal to southwest Arabian Sea in the middle troposphere, continued rainfall activity over Kerala for the last 2 days, the IMD declares onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala,'' the department said.

It said conditions were favourable for the advancement of monsoon over coastal Karnataka and northeastern states during the next 48 hours.

''Heavy to very heavy rainfall'' was predicted in parts of Kerala, Lakshadweep and coastal Karnataka.

The northern limit of the monsoon is expected to advance to Vishakapatnam-Kolkata by June 5; Mumbai-Bihar by June 10; Rajkot- Allahabad by June 15 and the rest of the country by July 15.

The last 24 hours witnessed rainfall at many places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala and Coastal Karnataka and a few places over northeastern States, Andhra Pradesh, South Madhya Maharashtra, South Konkan and Goa, the IMD said.

Isolated rainfall was also recorded over West Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal, East Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, West Bengal, Sikkim and Lakshadweep.

The IMD said rainfall activity along the west coast, over interior peninsula, northeastern states, West Bengal and Sikkim was likely to increase during the next 48 hours.

Ananatpur (8 cm), Mangalore (6 cm), Kailashahar, Ratnagiri and Panjim (5 cm each), Karipur, Palghat and Kozhikode (4 cm each), Hyderabad, Nancowry, Hutbay, Patiala and Guwahati (3 cm each) recorded good rainfall during the past 24 hours, it said.

Rain/thundershowers with isolated squall was likely at many places over Coastal Orissa and Gangetic West Bengal; at a few places over Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, interior Orissa and Jharkhand; at isolated places over Plains of northwest India, East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the department said in its forecast for the next three days.

Rain/thundershowers are also likely at most places over Kerala, Lakshadweep, Coastal Karnataka, Assam and Meghalaya and Tripura; at many places over South Konkan and Goa; at a few places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, South Madhya Maharashtra, East Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha.

Isolated duststorm/thunderstorm is likely over Rajasthan, it added.

UNI VN SY DS1653