As the formation of cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea has reduced cloud cover over the Kerala coast, the monsoon onset over the southernmost Kerala coast is delayed by another two-three days, a Reuters report said on Monday.
The weather department was expecting the monsoon arrival over the Kerala coast on June 4.
“The development of cyclonic circulation over the southeast Arabian Sea has been pulling moisture out of Kerala coast,” the Reuters report said quoting a senior IMD official.
IMD has forecast below average rains for June.
The monsoon is expected to pick up in July, August and September.
Late start of the monsoon could delay the planting of rice, cotton, corn, soybean and sugar cane.
Nearly half of India’s farmland, without any irrigation cover, depends on the annual June-September rains to grow several crops.
The monsoon delivers nearly 70% of the rain India needs to water farms and recharge reservoirs and aquifers.
A strong El Nino, marked by a warming of the sea surface on the Pacific Ocean, can cause severe drought in Southeast Asia, India and Australia while drenching other parts of the world such as the US Midwest and Brazil with rain.
The emergence of a strong El Nino triggered back-to-back droughts in 2014 and 2015 for only the fourth time in over a century, driving some Indian farmers into extreme poverty.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 05 Jun 2023, 08:35 PM IST
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