The monsoon has covered the entire country, reaching Sriganganagar in western Rajasthan — its last outpost — a fortnight ahead of schedule, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday. The normal date for monsoon onset in Sriganganagar is July 15.
“Southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and north Arabian Sea. The monsoon has covered the entire country today, June 29, 2018,” it said.
The monsoon’s journey across the country before time isn’t unusual, D.S. Pai, Chief Forecaster at the IMD in Pune said.
Google Maps image locates Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar, the last outpost of the southwest monsoon.
In 2015, the full coverage was reported by June 26 and in 2013, it was even earlier by June 16, according to Mr. Pai.
However, there’s no linkage between the speed with which the monsoon spreads out across the country and the quantum of rainfall. While 2013 recorded a 6% excess rain than normal, 2015 saw a 14% rainfall deficit. The monsoon deficiency, which until early this week was 10%, fell to 4% on Friday.
Typically the monsoon traverses the northern-most portions of the country by July 1, and then takes about a fortnight to reach western Rajasthan. “This time, a Western Disturbance as well as pressure system across the northern portion of the Bay of Bengal has propelled the rains,” said Mr. Pai.
Heavy rains lashed several parts of the Valley. Kashmiri vegetable vendors use umbrellas on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar on Friday. | Photo Credit: Nissar Ahmad
The relief from the soaring heat in north India, however, may be short-lived as the much of the monsoon activity is expected to shift back to the Konkan coast and the Himalayan foothills in the coming week, he added. The four-month monsoon season normally begins from June 1 and ends on September 30. This year, the monsoon touched down at Kerala on May 29, three days ahead of its normal onset date. It later stalled for over a week near Gujarat but made a steady advance last week.
The bulk of the rain has been in the southern peninsula, with Kerala, Karnataka and Goa pooling in 20% more rain than normal. East and Northeast India are experiencing a 26% deficit. The southwest monsoon accounts for 70% of the rainfall in the country, where agriculture still remains a major contributor to the GDP.