Southwest monsoon hits Kerala, IMD issues yellow alert for 9 districts
The India Meteorological Department has issued yellow alert for nine districts – Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram and Kannur
New Delhi: The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala, marking the commencement of the four-month long rainfall season, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.
"The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala," IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
The IMD has issued yellow alert for nine districts – Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram and Kannur.
The four-month monsoon season from June to September accounts for 75% of rainfall in the country.
Private forecaster Skymet Weather on May 30 had declared arrival of monsoon, but the IMD had differed, saying conditions were not ripe then for such an announcement.
All fishing activities off the coast has already been suspended by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) after the weather department’s alert regarding wind speed reaching up to 65 kmph along the state’s coastal areas and over Lakshadweep region.