The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : `Monsoon may gain strength in three days'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Monsoon may gain strength in three days'

Staff Reporter

The reason for the lull is the cyclone that developed in the Arabian Sea

Bangalore: Blue skies and soaring temperatures. This is not quite what the Meteorological Centre had predicted for the first week of June in Bangalore this year. But the southwest monsoon, which set in early as predicted by the department, has made little progress since its onset in Kerala and coastal Karnataka on May 29.

However, there is good news. "We should expect rain in interior Karnataka in two or three days," said G.S. Vijayaraghavan, director of the Meteorological Centre.

The monsoon, which was to have advanced into all of Karnataka on June 1, four days earlier than the normal onset, is 10 days late; the northern limit of the monsoon is exactly where it was 14 days ago, between Karwar and Chitradurga. In Tamil Nadu, the monsoon line has moved just a little, from Pamban to Salem, Mr. Vijayaraghavan told The Hindu. The reason for this hiatus is a super-cyclone that developed in the Arabian Sea and twisted its way towards the coast of Oman dragging with it the monsoon current. The cyclone subsided soon after it hit Oman. The westerly winds are picking up, so the monsoon has a chance to regain strength.

There has been some fallout in the State, including deficit rainfall in several districts, especially in coastal Karnataka.

The rainfall in coastal Karnataka for the week between May 31 and June 6 has been only 31.7 mm, which is 72 per cent deficit of the normal rain of 113.1 mm for this time. It is 11 per cent less in north interior Karnataka and 5 per cent deficit in south interior Karnataka.

Cropping patterns will not be affected because sowing in most districts start much later, says V.S. Prakash, director, Karnataka Drought Monitoring Cell. In interior Karnataka, because of thundershowers there has been 40 per cent excess in rainfall, which has again been beneficial to certain crops such as potato.

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