The much-awaited four month-long Monsoon season hit Kerala on June 5, a little behind the scheduled date of June 1.
Also read, Much-awaited Southwest Monsoon covers Northeast India.
But, why was the onset of Monsoon in India delayed, when Skymet and other weather agencies predicted timely onset of Monsoon 2105? In this article, we will reason out the delay of Monsoon in India.
The Thar Desert and adjoining areas of North and Central India heat up during the hot summer season. This leads to the formation of a low pressure area over North and Central India. To fulfill this void, moisture laden winds from the Indian Ocean rush into the Indian sub-continent. These winds are rich in moisture and lead to the formation of cloud in the sub-continent. But, this year we witnessed unseasonal rain in North and Central India during March and April. Thus, heating which should have begun in the month of April was delayed by a month or so. Till May 6, there was no heat wave over Pakistan, Rajasthan or Central India. The heat belt over the aforesaid regions generally pulls the Monsoon current over the mainland of India.
Secondly, the anticyclone over the Arabian Sea persisted till the end of May. Due to this system, northwesterly winds continued to blow up to Karnataka and Kerala coast. The flow of southwesterly winds were restricted over the area, which could have aided the onset of Monsoon in Kerala by the scheduled date of June 1. Trade winds generally crosses the equator and turn towards the right direction due to the Coriolis Force (Southwesterly winds). The presence of this anticyclone disturbed the normal flow of southwesterly winds.
Moreover, a ridge of high pressure in the mainland of the country did not allow the formation of any weather system. A ridge is generally induced by a high pressure area.
Image credit - ourimgs.com
