The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Monsoon casts its spell over city

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Tuesday, Jun 02, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Monsoon casts its spell over city

Staff Reporter

After a week’s hiatus, the system has now extended over southern half of State

The monsoon arrived on the Karnataka coast on May 25
Bangalore receives 8.5 cm of rainfall on Sunday

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

The day after: Workers on Monday clearing a tree that was uprooted in Cubbon Park following heavy rain in Bangalore on Sunday night.

Bangalore: The torrential 8.5 cm of rain that pounded the city on Sunday night, leaving trees uprooted and drains overflowing, turned out to be the city’s first spell of monsoon rain after all.

After a week’s hiatus, the southwest monsoon has now advanced northwards to Udupi and Anantapur, covering much of south interior Karnataka, including Bangalore, the India Meteorological Department declared on Monday.

Following an early onset over the Kerala coast on May 23, the monsoon arrived on the Karnataka coast on May 25 after which it remained static just south of Bangalore for almost a week. The system generally advances to Bangalore within two days of its onset on the Karnataka coast, but was impeded by a low pressure system near the Equator, said A. Muthuchami, director of the meteorological system here.

“Monsoon has arrived in Bangalore five days early, but this is part of normal fluctuations,” said Mr. Muthuchami. Sunday evening recorded one of the heaviest downpours for a single day, he added. The arrival of monsoon anywhere is generally accompanied by thunder and strong winds, Mr. Muthuchami said.

However, monsoon could only be declared the following (Monday) morning, after meteorological departments in New Delhi and Pune studied the rainfall data collected on Sunday, he added. “According to norms, over 2.5 mm of rain should be recorded along with westerly winds with speeds of at least 3 kmph and dense clouding.”

As the monsoon sets in completely, thundershowers will abate and cloud cover will increase, ushering in cooler days. “The monsoon season will also bring about a dip in temperature, with the city’s maximum dipping to 28 degrees Celsius and minimum to 19 degrees,” said Mr. Muthuchami.

It is likely to be a “near normal monsoon” this year in Karnataka and Bangalore, just as the India Meteorological Department has forecast for the rest country as a whole. The monsoon now covers the southern half of Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, and is likely to advance towards the west and east coasts of the country around June 5, according to the department.

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