Monsoon rains likely in 48 hours: IMD

The southwest monsoon, which has been playing hide-and-seek for some time now, is expected to set over Kerala in the next 48 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday.

IMD had earlier predicted the monsoon's onset over the state on 1 June, with an error margin of four days.

"The conditions are favourable for the onset of the southwest monsoon in Kerala within the next 48 hours.

It will be declared on the basis of the data recorded at 14 weather stations, the amount of rains received, wind pattern and cloud formation," K Santosh, director of IMD, said.

Signs were also evident of rains hitting the state soon with dark clouds formed at several parts of Kerala on Wednesday evening.

Fishermen have been warned about winds blowing 45 to 55 km an hour on the coast.

Weather officials are analysing the data recorded at 14 weather stations located at Lakshadweep, Kerala and Mangalore in Karnataka. The onset of the monsoon is declared on the basis of the amount of rain received at these 14 stations. Wind and cloud formations are the other indicators.

Pre-monsoon showers continued in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Wednesday, further bringing down the day temperature, Met officials said.

Many parts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh received showers while isolated rains occurred in Telangana, where the conditions remained relatively hot and humid.

According to the Hyderabad Meteorological Office, the highest maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius in Telangana was recorded at Nizamabad.

Almost all places in Telagana recorded maximum temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius, as per IANS

Adilabad and Nalgonda were also hot at 42 degrees. Hanamkonda, Hyderabad and Medak recorded a maximum temperature of 41 while it was 40 degrees in Mahabubnagar and Ramagundam.

These were three to four degrees lower than the maximum temperature in the state a few days ago.

Few places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema continued to receive rains. The rainfall at a few places in the two regions ranged between six and 11 centimetres.

The pre-monsoon showers have brought down the temperatures in Andhra Pradesh.

In the north, moderate rain in various parts of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday brought down the temperature by two to three notches, with the weatherman forecasting more thundershowers in the state on Thursday.

Prominent tourist destinations like Shimla, Narkanda, Kasauli, Palampur, Dharamsala and Manali saw spells of rain during the day, bringing down the temperatures considerably.

In the east, Kolkata, however, continued to be under oppressive humidity on Wednesday, even as the weatherman predicted thunderstorms over the next 48 hours at a couple of places of Gangetic West Bengal, covering the districts in the southern part of the state.