The Southwest Monsoon is likely to arrive a week in advance over South Andaman Sea, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD on Thursday said monsoon advance is expected around May 15, while the normal onset date over South Andaman Sea is around May 21 or 22. Once the cross equatorial wind flow is established along with other favourable conditions, monsoon normally arrives over mainland India, in Kerala, on June 1. "Fairly widespread to widespread, light to moderate rainfall is very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands during next five days. Isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over the region from May 14 to 16," said the IMD in its first monsoon update forecast issued on Thursday. With the forecast on likely early arrival of monsoon, the behaviour of cyclone Asani is also being factored in to assess the flow of monsoon winds and other conditions in the South Andaman Sea. Timely arrival over Andaman Sea does not necessarily mean monsoon's timely arrival over Kerala, said meteorologists. However, the IMD's Extended Range Predictions released on Thursday indicated favourable conditions for monsoon's timely arrival over Kerala. One of the many reasons for the early arrival of the monsoon, this year, could be the early heating of mainland India. This summer, maximum temperatures have remained above normal since March.
