Even as southwest monsoon touched India in Kerala two days before its schedule, the national Capital had a mixed experience as mercury dropped a few notches but the humidity level rose to 70 per cent on Saturday.
Entire Kerala received good rains in the past two days indicating the arrival of the monsoon. Scientists of the Indian Meteorological Department, who confirmed the arrival of the June-to-September monsoon, said that the atmospheric occurrences had met the main parametres for monsoon’s confirmation. Also in the Capital, the Meteorological Department predicted that the national Capital would be free from the spell of heat wave for the next 72 hours.
According to scientists, the monsoon on its first day had covered all of Kerala, parts of coastal and interior southern Karnataka and almost all of Tamil Nadu. Stating that the flow of monsoon was congenital for further progress, they said the next two days could see the rains reaching the drought-affected areas of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The IMD declares the onset of monsoon on the sub-continent if 60 per cent of the 14 weather stations in Kerala, lakshadweep and Mangalore get more than 2.5 mm of rainfall for two consecutive days. “The monitoring stations have reported ‘fairly’ widespread to widespread rainfall in the past 48 hours,” an IMD scientist said.
The southwest monsoon, lifeline of over 25 crore farmers in the country and seven million in Kerala, sets in over the State normally on June 1 and advances in surges towards the north to cover the entire country by the middle of July. Kerala had witnessed a 24 per cent rainfall deficit last monsoon while it faced a shortfall by 40 per cent in the pre-monsoon showers this year.
The performance of the southwest monsoon is important to the UPA Government and the Congress as it could influence the rural economy and inflation which is crucial as far as the lok Sabha election to be held next year is concerned. A scientist at IMD, Thiruvananthapuram, said that 98 per cent normal rainfall was being expected this monsoon.
In Delhi, met department said that the Easterlies winds will prevail for the next 72 hours, plummeting the temperatures. "These winds rising from the sea and reaching the north Indian States, including Delhi, will help keep the heat waves, responsible for the rising temperatures, at bay. These winds have brought moisture and cool air. Though the temperatures are expected to be normal, there are no chances of rain," said RK Jenamani, Director, Met department.
Meanwhile, the Capital on Saturday witnessed a drop in the mercury. The day temperature was two degrees below normal at 38 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature was also one degree below normal at 26.7 degree Celsius.