And now for the monsoon forecast - sorry, there is no forecast! That is what the weathermen in the western region are saying.
They don't want to be criticised for failing to predict another 26/7.
And now for the monsoon forecast - sorry, there is no forecast! That is what the weathermen in the western region are saying.
Drawing flak for not having predicted the last year floods, weathermen are using their discretion to not issue forecast on the monsoon, though it hit Nicobar and South Andaman over the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday. Complexities involved in the forecasting system are also restraining them from revealing the forecast details.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi, has forecast that the monsoon clouds would hit Kerala on May 30, two days ahead of the usual date of June 1.
Though the IMD had forecast an early monsoon, there was no guarantee of it hitting Mumbai and Maharashtra early, said IMD Deputy Director, Western Region, CVV Bhadram. The only prediction most meteorologists are willing to bet on is that there will be no drought this year, since there had been no El Nino effect so far. (Experts have held the effect responsible for the droughts in the recent past.)
Due to the lack of a Doppler Radar, a monsoon forecast for Mumbai would be possible only after it reaches the Kerala coast, IMD (western region) officials said. Even after it touches Kerala, the monsoon could show erratic trends, they said.
"There are various factors that affect the monsoon's travel to Mumbai and Maharashtra," Bhadram said. "We cannot say what the region will experience during the monsoon. We are depending on older equipment and we will be able to tell what to expect only after May," he added.
There are some who are not hazarding even that guess. "Though there has been no El Nino effect this season, we cannot rule it out in near future," Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Director PCS Devara said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}