Monsoon loses steam after hurricane

The annual monsoon rains, which hit the country's southern coast a week ahead, on 23 May, with heavy downpours across Kerala and Tamil Nadu, seems to have lost pace after the hurricane that hit the West Bengal coast on Monday.
 
There has been no advancement of rains for the last two days, the weather department said on its website.
 
Till 25 May 2009, the southwest monsoon has advanced over south Arabian Sea, entire Kerala and Tamil Nadu, southern parts of coastal Karnataka, most parts of Bay of Bengal, entire northeastern states, some parts of north coastal Orissa and most parts of West Bengal and Sikkim, the weather bureau said in a website release.

"There is no further advance of monsoon till today, ie 27 May 2009," the department said.

Monsoon reached Kerala on 23 May, ahead of the scheduled 1 June. Generally, once the  monsoon reaches Kerala, it hits Maharashtra within 48 hours.

The southwest monsoon, which reached the Andamans on time had made rapid progress up to Kerala, covering the distance in three days. Normally, it reaches the Andamans on 20 May and reaches Kerala by 1 June.

Mazumdar ruled out chances of monsoon hitting Maharashtra in next 48 hours. ''The conditions are not favourable for progress of monsoon up to Maharashtra so soon,'' he said.

''The monsoon will make progress in eastern side. It can at most reach the southern tip of Karnataka. Further progress is not possible in the next 48 hours,'' said A B Mazumdar, deputy director-general meteorology (DDGM), India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Meanwhile, the hurricane weakened and the depression over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim weakened into a well marked low pressure area and lay centered at 1430 hours IST on 26 May over the same region, IMD said.