Weather Update: Southwest Monsoon Likely To Arrive In Kerala On June 4

Weather alert in India: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that this year, there will be a slight delay in the onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala. However, it added that for the next 7 days no heatwave conditions are expected.

Typically, the southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala around June 1, with a standard deviation of approximately seven days. In a statement, the Met office stated, "This year, the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala is projected to be slightly delayed. It is likely to occur on June 4 with a model error of four days."

Kuldeep Srivastava from the IMD in Delhi explained, "The severity of heatwave conditions in the first half of May was mitigated by Western disturbances affecting parts of northwest India. As another western disturbance approaches northwest India, we do not anticipate heatwave conditions in that region for the next seven days. However, temperatures will remain elevated, reaching up to 40°C."

Srivastava further elaborated, "Dust-raising winds are prevailing over Haryana, South Haryana, Delhi NCR, Western Uttar Pradesh, and North-East Rajasthan. This is primarily due to the passage of a previous western disturbance, resulting in strong winds. Additionally, temperatures have been quite high, mostly exceeding 40°C in the past week. The atmosphere is dry, and the hot weather has loosened the soil. As a result, winds blowing at speeds of 40-45 kmph are lifting dust from the surface, dispersing it into the atmosphere, particularly up to an altitude of 1-2 km."