Monsoon hits Andaman, but cyclone will weaken its progress

Southwest monsoon has hit the Andaman and Nicobar island two days before its normal date, but a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is likely to “weaken” its progress, which will result in delay of its onset in Kerala.

Southwest monsoon has hit the Andaman and Nicobar island two days before its normal date, but a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is likely to “weaken” its progress, which will result in delay of its onset in Kerala.

Cyclonic storm ‘Roanu’ in the Bay of Bengal will intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm” by tonight. Early this week there was another depression in the Bay of Bengal, which hit the Tamil Nadu coast.(PTI)

“Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some parts of South Bay of Bengal, Andaman Islands and remaining parts of North Andaman Sea during the next 48 hours,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Laxman Singh Rathore said on Thursday.

Rathore said that the southwest monsoon usually hits the Andaman and Nicobar on May 20 and it takes ten more days to reach the Kerala coast. But this year, it hit the archipelago two days before.

“There is a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal currently. This will weaken the progress of monsoon,” Rathore said.

Cyclonic storm ‘Roanu’ in the Bay of Bengal will intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm” by tonight. Early this week there was another depression in the Bay of Bengal, which hit the Tamil Nadu coast.

The IMD has already made a prediction of delay in the onset of monsoon this year. The Southwest monsoon will hit the Kerala coast on June 7, with a delay of six days as against its normal onset date of June 1. The delay in the arrival of the monsoon is not a good news for the country which is suffering due to intense heat and is eagerly waiting for the rains.