Southwest Monsoon Set To Advance Further In Next 3-4 Days After Stalling For 12 days

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the southwest monsoon to advance into certain areas of the Bay of Bengal, the Maldives, and the Comorin regions in the next three to four days. Additionally, a fresh western disturbance is expected to move across northwest India, persisting until Thursday, according to the weather bureau.

As a result of this system, Himachal Pradesh is likely to experience light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, gusty winds, and the possibility of hailstorms on Wednesday and Thursday. Hailstorms are also expected in Uttarakhand until Friday. Rajasthan may witness thundersqualls, while Jammu and Kashmir could experience heavy rainfall today.

Within the next 24 hours, several parts of Delhi, including east Delhi, New Delhi, north Delhi, northeast Delhi, south Delhi, and southwest Delhi, are anticipated to witness thundershowers accompanied by strong winds.

In Punjab and various areas of Haryana, similar weather conditions are expected, including thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph on Wednesday and Thursday. Northern Haryana, in particular, may face similar climate conditions on Wednesday.

Taking these forecasts into consideration, IMD's crop advisory unit, Agromet, has issued guidelines to farmers in Haryana and Punjab. The advisory recommends completing the sowing of paddy nursery within the recommended periods and using suggested varieties such as PR121 to PR131 and HKR 47. Cotton farmers have been advised to eradicate weeds to prevent the spread of whitefly in cotton fields. Cane farmers are encouraged to apply fertilizers and irrigation as needed, based on weather conditions over the next four days.

Paddy, cotton, and sugarcane are the main crops of the kharif season, cultivated in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. The kharif season traditionally begins with the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala on June 1 and extends from June to October.

Furthermore, the western disturbance is expected to bring light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds to Kerala and Lakshadweep over the next five days. Heavy rainfall is anticipated in Tamil Nadu and certain parts of Karnataka from Wednesday to Sunday, as observed by IMD.