Monsoon to be delayed by six days: Met dept

New Delhi, May 15: In an unpleasant news for the heat-troubled country, the Met department today predicted 6-day delay in the onset of monsoon which was scheduled to strike Kerala on June 1.

"Forecast suggests that monsoon onset over Kerala this year is likely to be slightly delayed. The Southwest monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on June 7 with a model error of plus or minus four days," the India Metereological Department (IMD) said in its forecast released here.

June 1 is the official onset date of monsoon in India when it hits Kerala. The delay in the arrival of the monsoon is not good news for the country which is suffering due to intense heat and is eagerly waiting for the rains.

Interestingly, forecast of monsoon onset issued during the past 11 years (from 2005-2015) except 2015 has proved to be correct. This includes the error margin of plus or minus 4 days. IMD Director General Laxman Singh Rathore said the delay in the monsoon onset was not an "unusual" phenomenon.

He, however, said there would be some relief to South Indian states from the intense heat as there could be some rainfaill in the coming days. "Currently there is a low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal which will become a depression and hit Tamil Nadu coast by tonight.

This will bring good amount of rainfall to the state, parts of South Interior Karnataka and parts of Kerala," Rathore said.

Skymet, a private forecasting agency, in its forecast for monsoon onset, had said that monsoon will hit Kerala between May 28 and 30. The IMD has already made a forecast that monsoon will be "above normal" this year.

PTI