Southwest Monsoon to advance over Central and adjoining East India around 14 June: IMD

Conditions are favourable for the Southwest monsoon to advance over some more parts of central and adjoining eastern India around 14 June, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday, after a sluggish week.

The Southwest monsoon has already covered southern states, some parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and the entire Northeast.

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The development assumes significance as kharif sowing is likely to be intensified with a fresh spell of rains in central India as well as other parts of the country. Monsoon rains are crucial for India as the deliver nearly 70% of its annual rainfall. Nearly 45% of the net sowing area is dependent on rains for irrigation.

The Southwest monsoon hit the Kerala coast on 24 May, 8 days before the normal date of 1 June and Mumbai on 26 May, 16 days before the normal date of 11 June. The progress has been sluggish for over a week.

In its latest update the IMD predicted light to moderate rainfall at some places is likely to continue over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during the next seven days and light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning & gusty winds likely over Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal & Sikkim, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar during 10-16 June. Also, thundersquall is very likely at isolated places over Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Bihar during 11-14 June.

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Isolated heavy rainfall also likely over Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Odisha during 12-16 June.

Meanwhile, IMD also forecast heat wave conditions are likely to continue over Northwest India with severe heat wave conditions at isolated pockets over West Rajasthan till 12 June and abate thereafter.

"Heat wave condition very likely at many places over West Rajasthan during 10-16 with severe heat wave conditions at some parts during 10-13 June," reads the statement. Also, heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over East Rajasthan during 10-13 June.

Besides Rajasthan, heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over East Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, north Madhya Pradesh during 10-13 June. Also, hot and humid weather is likely to prevail over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha on 10 and 11 June. Additionally, warm night conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during 10-12 June.

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The IMD has predicted that monsoon is likely to be in active phase with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over south peninsular India during 12-16 June and over Konkan and Goa on 13-14 June.

Light to moderate rainfall at some places accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds likely over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Konkan and Goa on 10 and 11 June. Also, isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Marathawada, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, during 10-16 June.

Light to moderate rainfall at some places accompanied with accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds likely over Jammu Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad during 10th-12th, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan during 12-16 June. Also, isolated heavy rainfall likely over Uttarakhand during 12-16 June.