Southwest Monsoon to hit Kerala on May 28; Dust storm, squall likely in north India today

A private weather forecasting agency Skymet said that the Southwest Monsoon will hit Kerala on May 28, four days ahead of its normal onset date.

Southwest Monsoon is responsible for bringing seasonal rain to the Indian subcontinent.

The monsoon is expected to reach the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 20 and is expected to advance further to Sri Lanka and over East Central Bay of Bengal on May 24, it said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department on Saturday has predicted that Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh may receive heavy rain and thunderstorm while parts of Rajasthan might see dust storm on Sunday and Monday.

Thunderstorm over these hill-states states and its subsequent effect on plains in north Indian is due to a new western disturbance from today.

Heat wave conditions are very likely at one or two pockets over Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh and Vidharbha.

The Skymet and India Meteorological Department have predicted a normal monsoon this year.