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Monsoon on course, to hit Kerala by tomorrow
Vibha Sharma/TNS

Good news for region Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi could expect dust storms, rain and thunderstorms by Wednesday This could result in a fall in maximum temperature by 2-3°C and relief from heat wave conditions The IMD retains its April forecast of a normal monsoon this year

New Delhi, June 4
Monsoon may be a month away from the region, but people in the Northwest region can look forward to some respite from the soaring mercury in the next two weeks.

The IMD today predicted that the long-awaited seasonal rains would hit the Kerala coast anytime in the next 48 hours. It also said that the plains of the Northwest -- including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, as well as central India -- could expect dust storms, rains and thunderstorms followed by a fall in maximum temperature by 2-3°C and relief from heat wave conditions in the next two days.

The IMD had predicted June 1 as the due date of monsoon arrival over Kerala with an error margin of four days. That seasonal rains will soon be hitting the Southern coast, though later than the ascribed date, has come as a major relief.

Considering that the northern limit of monsoon was not progressing beyond a point for the past few days, there were serious concerns for the farm-dependent economy -- the world’s second-biggest producer of rice, wheat, sugar and cotton and also one of the largest consumers with a population of 1.21 billion.

Attributing the delay to a cyclonic pressure over the Arabian Sea, IMD director general LS Rathore is sticking to his April forecast of average rains in 2012 for the third year in a row.