The southwest monsoon has flattered to deceive, so to say. The monsoon came at almost the appointed hour on June 5, precipitated more than the normal rainfall on June 7, but suddenly retreated. The rainfall received by Kerala till June 12 is 109.6mm. Had the southwesterly been true to character, Kerala should instead have received 231.2mm. However, with the Typhoon Mewar passing over to the North Pacific region, the monsoon is expected to strengthen in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Met department in Andhra Pradesh said the monsoon will reach Hyderabad by the next week. Till then, the maximum temperatures will be around 37-38ºC. Partly cloudy skies with sporadic rain and thunder-showers in some parts of the state can be expected. The first phase of the monsoon, which normally takes a diagonal southwest to northeast path, has almost fully ignored the whole of coastal Kerala. Rains were received in Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Thrissur. Significantly, there has been no rainfall in the catchment areas of Idukki, Sabarigiri, and Lower Periyar hydroelectric projects. The highest rainfall recorded on Tuesday was 6 mm in Kudulu, Kasargod.
“In fact, the whole of the Deccan region from Kanyakumari, right through the Konkan coast to Goa, witnessed deficient rainfall,” a Met expert said. Experts say the path of deflection has been caused by strong Typhoon Mawar, which, after causing damage over the Indian Ocean, is now wreaking havoc over the North Pacific region. “The offshore trough at mean sea level, a sign of healthy monsoon, extends from Karnataka coast to Kerala coast with an embedded cyclonic circulation lying off Karanataka coast. So there is a high possibility the rains will revive in the coming days,” said a Met source.