MeT dept predicts 6-day delay in onset of monsoon

For the heat-ridden country, this does not seem to be pleasant news at all. The MeT department on Sunday predicted 6-day delay in the onset of monsoon which was scheduled to strike Kerala on June 1. “Forecast suggests that monsoon onset over Kerala this year is likely to be slightly delayed. The Southwest monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on June 7 with a model error of plus or minus four days,” the India Meteorological Department 

(IMD) said in its forecast released here. June 1 is the official onset date of monsoon in India when it hits Kerala. The delay in the arrival of the monsoon is not good news for the country which is suffering due to intense heat and is eagerly waiting for the rains. Interestingly, forecast of monsoon onset issued during the past 11 years (from 2005-2015) except 2015 has proved to be correct. This includes the error margin of plus or minus 4 days. IMD Director General Laxman Singh Rathore said the delay in the monsoon onset was not an “unusual” phenomenon. He, however, said there would be some relief to South Indian states from the intense heat as there could be some rainfall in the coming days.