Monsoon to hit Kerala by June 2

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday announced that conditions are becoming favourable for the system to set in over Kerala in the next three to four days.

In other words, the system could hit Kerala, entry point of the system into the Indian mainland, on June 1 or 2. The normal date for onset over Kerala is June 1.

Last year, it predicted an onset on June 1, and the actual event occurred four days later on June 5. In 2011, its prediction was for May 31 and the onset took place two days earlier on May 29.

IMD, in its long range forecast for the season issued on April 26, predicted that it would be a normal monsoon this year, with a rainfall of 98 per cent of the long period average of 89 cm with a model error of plus or minus 5 per cent.