Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 9: Southwest monsoon which forayed into Kerala on Saturday with delay is likely to take two to three more days time to set into parts of Karnataka. India Meteorological Department (IMD) sources predicted that monsoon season is likely to begin in coastal Karnataka by June 11.

The department explained that although conditions are now ripe for the entry of monsoon into Karnataka as per earlier prediction, cyclonic storms moving in north and northwest direction are likely to interfere with the monsoon winds. Sunil Gavaskar, scientist with Karnataka State Natural /disaster Monitoring Cell said that based on the calculations currently made over development of the system over the sea, the onset of monsoon in interior Karnataka will be delayed a bit. He said that a more accurate prediction can be made only after observing the movement of cyclonic circulation during the next one day.

IMD had earlier expected the monsoon to arrive on June 7 which was further delayed by two days.

Districts located in the central and north Kerala got rainfall on Saturday. In some places, the rain was heavy while it was moderate in others. The IMD that had sounded red alert has withdrawn it since, based on the forecast about the monsoon intensity being less during the early weeks. Kerala and Karnataka had faced huge floods in Western Ghats last year and hence the departments are in readiness to handle any such eventuality this year.