BENGALURU: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said the Southwest Monsoon (SWM) is likely to make its onset over Kerala on Thursday and reach Karnataka within the next two days.
IMD Bengaluru Director-in-Charge Dr N Puviarasan said weather conditions remain favourable for the onset of the monsoon. He noted that factors such as wind pattern, wind speed, and outgoing longwave radiation are conducive to the monsoon’s advance.
“The final date for the onset of the monsoon over Karnataka will be announced on Thursday after assessing the spread of monsoon winds,” he said.
Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for most parts of Karnataka for the next five days. An orange alert has been issued for Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Koppal, Gadag, Haveri, Dharwad, Belagavi, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.
The department has advised citizens to remain cautious as thunderstorms, lightning, strong winds and heavy rain are likely in several parts of the state.
According to meteorologists, conditions are favourable for the further advance of the Southwest Monsoon into additional parts of the southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep Islands, parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and more areas of the southwest, west-central, east-central and northeast Bay of Bengal around June 4.
Weather experts have also pointed to the presence of a trough extending from west Uttar Pradesh to north Tamil Nadu, along with an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the southeast Arabian Sea off the south Kerala coast and adjoining coastal Karnataka. Upper-air cyclonic circulations are also prevailing over the Andaman Sea and over east Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Chhattisgarh, extending up to northeast Tamil Nadu across Vidarbha, Telangana and Rayalaseema.
It may be recalled that the IMD had earlier forecast an early onset of the Southwest Monsoon around May 26-27, ahead of the normal onset date of June 1. However, unfavourable conditions delayed its arrival.