Southwest monsoon hits Kerala: IMD

Rains came in four days later than expected

Annual monsoon rains have arrived at Kerala coast in southern India on Friday, four days later than expected, officials at the weather office said.

"It has further advanced into entire south Arabian Sea, some more parts of Central Arabian Sea, entire Lakshadweep area and Kerela, some parts of coastal and southern interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, remaning parts of southeast Bay of Bengal and some parts of central and northeast Bay of Bengal," the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said. 

The IMD added that conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, some more parts of Rayalseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh, and northeast India in next 48 hours. 

On June 2, IMD scaled down this year's June to September monsoon rainfall forecast citing an El Nino weather pattern, raising fears of the first drought in six years.

El Nino, an event marked by warmer surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, increases the chance of droughts in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, Southeast Asia and India.

But private weather forecaster Skymet said monsoon will be good this year as the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) phenomenon counters an El Nino weather event.

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Skymet, which says its predictions have been correct for the past three years, forecast rains at 102% of the long-term average over the June-September monsoon season, versus Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD's) 88%.