Cyclone Shakti: Rain advances over Andaman Sea, set to reach Arabian Sea in 3-4 days

The Southwest Monsoon made its onset over parts of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea on May 13, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed on Tuesday.

“Southwest Monsoon has advanced into some parts of the south Bay of Bengal, south Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands and parts of the north Andaman Sea,” the IMD said.

Favourable conditions are now expected to support its further advance over parts of the south Arabian Sea, Maldives, Comorin region, and more areas of the Bay of Bengal. The monsoon is also set to cover the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of the central Bay within three to four days.

The progress follows two days of widespread rainfall, including heavy showers in the Nicobar Islands. Strengthening westerly winds, clocking over 20 knots at 1.5 km above sea level and reaching up to 4.5 km in depth, helped meet the meteorological criteria for onset.

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A consistent drop in Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) to below 200 W/m² — an indicator of increased cloud cover — also signalled the monsoon’s arrival.

This year’s monsoon is forecast to be ‘above normal’, at 105% of the Long Period Average of 880 mm, according to the Met department.