Southwest monsoon advances to the Andaman Sea

Advance of Southwest monsoon. May 13, 2025. | Photo Credit: India Meteorological Department

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced connected Tuesday (May 13, 2025) that the southwest monsoon has precocious into immoderate parts of the southbound Bay of Bengal, the southbound Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands, and parts of the northbound Andaman Sea.

Usually, the monsoon system, which splits into 2 branches, takes astir 10 days to scope mainland India from this region, though the IMD has not yet revealed a day for the monsoon’s onset implicit Kerala. The bureau is expected to denote an authoritative day aboriginal this month, and uses a customized forecast exemplary for this purpose. The mean onset day of the monsoon implicit Kerala is June 1.

Meteorologists person stated that an aboriginal accomplishment successful the Andaman Sea would not needfully mean the monsoon would scope Kerala earlier.

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Last month, the IMD said India is apt to person “above normal” monsoon rainfall, defined arsenic 5% much than the humanities mean of 87 cm. If this prediction holds true, it would beryllium a 2nd twelvemonth of “above normal” rain. Last year, India received rainfall 8% supra the humanities mean from June to September.

In 2024, the southwest monsoon acceptable successful implicit Kerala connected May 30, 2 days earlier the mean day and a time earlier the forecast day of May 31. It was besides antithetic successful that some branches of the monsoon simultaneously acceptable successful implicit northeast India and Kerala. The 2 branches yet merge implicit cardinal India and prolong the southwest monsoon until the extremity of September.

“Rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning volition apt proceed implicit southbound peninsular India and adjoining cardinal India for the adjacent 5 days, with dense rainfall besides expected implicit Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu this week. Heavy to precise dense rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning is apt implicit northeast India during the adjacent 5 days,” the IMD said successful a connection connected Tuesday.

Published - May 13, 2025 10:35 p.m. IST