The chances of the south-west monsoon breaking out over Kerala a week ahead of its normal date of June 1 receded further with the monsoon winds staying nearly stationary, around 500 km off the southern tip of the state, according to the latest observation of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
“No significant progress in movement of monsoon winds was observed since Friday,” D. Santosh, director of IMD, Thiruvana-nthapuram, said.
He said the overall conditions were favourable for the onset of monsoon in the state soon. Kerala is considered as the monsoon gateway to the Indian subcontinent. The two low pressure systems, one in the Arabian Sea off Lakshwadweep Islands, and another in the Bay of Bengal may help to advance the monsoon winds towards the state, Santosh said. The monsoon has already covered Maldives, parts of Sri Lanka and Bay of Bengal.
The rains in Kerala during the last two days is likely to continue in the next three days, IMD said.