Monsoon alert: Rains to hit Kerala before 30 May, says IMD forecast

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) may have announced the onset of monsoon in Kerala on 30 May, but seasonal rainfall may arrive a day before.Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) Secretary M Rajeevan said the conditions look favourable for the arrival of monsoon before the announced date.[caption id="attachment_3443856" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Representational photo. Reuters[/caption]"The announced onset date for monsoon is 30 May, but there is a possibility that it may hit Kerala a day before that," Rajeevan told PTI.The normal date of onset of monsoon over Kerala is 1 June, which marks the arrival of seasonal rainfall in the country.With chances of El Nino, a phenomenon associated with the warming of Pacific waters, the IMD has predicted a normal monsoon in 2017.Rajeevan said the ministry will also undertake a programme starting this monsoon to study the viability of cloud seeding.He was speaking at an event organised to publicise the ministry's achievements since the NDA government came to power in 2014. MoES minister Harsh Vardhan and his deputy Y S Chowdary were also present at the event.The programme will be carried out using two research aircrafts. One plane would be undertaking the exercise of cloud seeding while another aircraft would take samples to study its viability.Solapur in Maharashtra has been chosen to conduct the research."We intend to take 200 samples that can help us understand how effective is the concept of cloud seeding. The programme will be carried over a period of three years," he said.Several states like Kerala have also been conducting research on cloud seeding.