Monsoons in India normal this year; 99% rainfall expected

Even as conditions are favourable for the advancing south-west monsoon, which is likely to hit Kerala on May 27, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that they expect the monsoons to be normal this year with “99 per cent rainfall”.

The head of IMD Mumbai, Jayanta Sarkar told the media that “99 per cent rainfall is expected”. In the next five days, light to moderate rainfall is expected in Konkan and Goa region, and other parts of state will also receive light rainfall. In what will be a major relief for many northern states, the weather department has also predicted no heatwave conditions over the country during the next five days, except for isolated heat wave conditions over south west Rajasthan on May 27 and 28.

The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall in the north-east and light to scattered rainfall with thunderstorms/lightning over Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Sikkim over the next five days. Assam, which was recently hit badly by heavy rain and floods, will also experience isolated heavy rainfall from May 25 to May 29.

Also read: Why temperature touching 50°C in North India may be the new normal

Warning to fishermen

IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the Arabian sea for three days from Friday (May 27). The warning is not applicable for fishermen at the south Gujarat coast during the period, the IMD said in a release.

The release said that strong winds with speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph are very likely to prevail along and off the north Gujarat coast from May 27-29, 2022.

“Fishermen are advised not to venture along and off north Gujarat coast from May 27 to May 29,” it said. The advisory has been issued for fishermen operating along the Arabian Sea coast covering Kutch, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts.

Further, according to the IMD, the Rajkot taluka of Rajkot district in Saurashtra region received an unseasonal rainfall of 6 mm on Tuesday. But, there will be no significant changes in the maximum temperatures over the region in the next four-five days, it said.