Southwest Monsoon advances over Andaman and Nicobar Islands

New Delhi: The Southwest Monsoon advanced into some parts of South Bay of Bengal, most parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Andaman Sea on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced.

This comes a day later than the earlier announcement last week of the Southwest Monsoon reaching the South Andaman Sea on May 15. As per the normal dates of monsoon, the onset of Southwest Monsoon over the Andaman Sea happens around May 22.

Hopes are now centred at its arrival on Kerala shores on May 27, as announced by the IMD last week, earlier than the usual date of June 1. However, the IMD maintains that past data suggests that there is no direct association of the date of monsoon advance over the Andaman Sea either with the date of monsoon onset over Kerala or with the seasonal monsoon rainfall over the country.

The IMD forecast said that, in view of the strengthening of south-westerlies in the lower tropospheric levels, there would be fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity and persistent cloudiness over the area.

Widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls and thunderstorm/lightning/gusty winds are very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the next five days while squally weather with wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, is also likely over the Andaman Sea and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal till May 18.

The conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of South Bay of Bengal, entire Andaman Sea and the Andaman Islands, and some parts of east-central Bay of Bengal during next 2-3 days, the IMD said.