Monsoon likely to arrive in Pune on May 28: Former IMD head

The earliest onset of Monsoon in Maharashtra was in 1990, when it arrived on May 20.

According to Anupam Kashyapi, former head of weather forecasting at IMD, the most likely date for the onset of monsoon in Pune is May 28. The IMD declares onset after a series of conditions are met. Monsoon has reached the south of Maharashtra on Sunday.

Pune and Maharashtra have been witnessing rain over the last few days, which is mainly attributed to the low-pressure area over the Arabian Sea. The low-pressure areas have caused extensive rainfall in Pune and Maharashtra. The state has received 99.2 mm of rainfall, more than four times the 20.1 mm of rainfall it is supposed to receive between March 1 and May 31. If the trend persists, this will be one of the wettest summers the state and city might have seen in a long time.

The recent rains have sparked both anxiety and enthusiasm among farmers. Ganesh Nanote, a farmer from Akola district, noted that the rain has disrupted the pre-sowing land preparation for crops such as moong and urad beans. “Our main concern is the second week of June. If the current rainfall trend continues, we will have no complaints. However, if that week turns dry, we could face significant problems,” he said.

The IMD Saturday said the onset of monsoons in Kerala was the earliest since 2009, when monsoons arrived on May 23. It also said that over the next two to three days, favourable conditions will aid the further advance of monsoon into parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, more parts of Karnataka, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, remaining parts of Tamil Nadu, Goa, and more parts of the central Arabian Sea.