NEW DELHI, May 25: Nearly a week ahead of the usual onset date of June 1, the Southwest Monsoon arrived over Kerala on Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
According to the IMD, “heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to continue over west coast (Kerala, Karnataka, coastal Maharashtra and Goa) during next 7 days with possibility of extremely heavy rainfall over Kerala during 24th-26th; coastal Maharashtra and Goa and Madhya Maharashtra on 24th; Coastal and Ghat areas of Karnataka during 24th-27th; Ghat areas of Tamil Nadu on 25th & 26th May, 2025.” It said a depression was present over the East Central Arabian Sea and adjoining south Konkan coast. It is expected to move eastward and cross south coastal Maharashtra by noon on May 24.
But elsewhere, severe heatwave conditions are forecast to continue in Rajasthan until May 27 and in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu, and Kashmir until May 26. While southern and coastal states braced for downpours, northern and north-western India continued to battle heat waves and severe heat waves, especially in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir. IMD warned that these conditions will persist until May 27 in several regions.
The IMD stated that Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar will see scattered to fairly widespread rain with thunderstorms and gusty winds through May 30. Bihar is likely to experience thunderstorm winds reaching speeds of 70 kmph on May 25 and 26.
A low-pressure area is expected to develop over the west-central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal around May 27, adding to the rainfall threat in Odisha and eastern states. The IMD also warned that Northeast India will face daily light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning from May 24 to 30, with heavy rain expected in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. The IMD also predicted the dust storms across West and East Rajasthan till May 27 and hailstorms in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
(Manas Dasgupta)
