PANAJI: After one of the wettest pre-monsoon seasons in seven decades, the southwest monsoon arrived in Goa on World Environment Day – the normal date – though there was not much precipitation till evening.
Though it was quite bright and sunny till almost evening, the annual system gathered momentum to cross over Goa from Karwar in Karnataka from the south by afternoon.
The northern limit of the monsoon extends upto Harnai, north of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.
The southwest monsoon being often described as a pulsating system that produces heavy rain and also slows down in phases, India meteorological department (IMD), Panaji considered the parameters before making a declaration.
The conditions for onset of monsoon were slightly weak in the beginning.
But after a delay in advancing over Kerala, the monsoon winds gathered speed and it arrived in Karnataka and Goa in two days.
Widespread, though moderate, rainfall activity for past three days was one of the criteria for declaring arrival of monsoon.
“The speed of the wind and direction is another criteria for declaring monsoon arrival.
It should be ideally westerly or southwesterly and up to a height of at least 3.5 kms to 4 kms above mean sea level,” Rahul M, scientist, IMD, Panaji said.
Rainfall activity, wind speed and direction being satisfactory, continuous cloud formation is also a requirement, the scientist said.
“The cloud formation is expected to gather momentum,” he said.
A few places received moderate rainfall by evening.
The scale of monsoon activity may not be heavy during the next few days.
Further, the rainfall activity may weaken after Monday for a couple of days.
The rainfall during the past 24 hours till Saturday morning, was very light though widespread.
Ponda recorded 3mm, Mormugao 1.8mm, Canacona and Sanguem 1.2mm each while other centres received much less.