Rising sea surface temperature intensifying cyclones, says IMD chief

In a Q&A, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra dwells on the onset of monsoon, rainfall distribution, increasing trend of tropical cyclones over the Arabian Sea, and the reason behind the rising sea level

The cyclone man of India, as India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra is known, believes in accuracy and dismisses individual models predicting cyclones as pseudo forecasters. In an interview with Ramani Ranjan Mohapatra, the IMD chief talks about the onset of monsoon, rainfall distribution, the increasing trend of tropical cyclones over the Arabian Sea, and the reason behind the rising sea level. Edited excerpts:

The southwest monsoon has been delayed and is likely to hit the Kerala coast by June 3. But a private agency has announced the onset of monsoon in the state. What explains this difference?