Southwest Monsoon entered Kerala on June 5, which is a delay of four days. Though rains picked up pace from the second week of June, the intensity of rain remained below average and June ended with a deficit of 13% in Kerala.
The scenario in July was even worse in terms of rainfall. The state had observed moderate to heavy rains from July 15 to 22. But, again Kerala did not receive normal rains and by the end of July rain deficit rose to 30%.
Subdued rainfall in Kerala could be attributed to the weak off shore trough along the West Coast, running from Coastal Karnataka to Kerala. Moreover, no strong weather system developed over South Arabian Sea, which would have enhanced the rainfall over Kerala. In the last week of July, rainfall further reduced along the West Coast and Kerala went almost dry with very little rain.
As of now, the off shore trough is expected to gain strength and rain will start over Kerala very soon. However, the intensity of rain will not be very high. Therefore, we can say that rain deficit is not going to come down to normal levels in coming days. But, the prolonged dry spell will definitely come to an end and there will be some respite from the ongoing sultry weather.
Image credit- keralatourism.org
