Monsoon may hit Kerala before May 30: IMD

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the onset of the monsoon in Kerala on May 30 this year, but the seasonal rainfall may arrive a day before.

Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) Secretary M Rajeevan said the conditions look favourable for the arrival of the monsoon before the announced date.

"The date announced for the onset of the monsoon is May 30, but there is a possibility that it may hit Kerala a day before that," Rajeevan told PTI.

The normal date for the start of the seasonal rains over Kerala is June 1, which marks the arrival of the monsoon in the country.

With chances of continuation of the El Nino effect, a phenomena associated with warming of Pacific waters, the IMD has predicted a normal monsoon this year.

Rajeevan said the ministry will also undertake a programme during the monsoon to study the viability of cloud seeding.

He was speaking at an event organised to highlight the ministry's achievements since the NDA government came to power in 2014. Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan and his deputy Y S Chowdary attended the event.

The programme will be carried out using two research aircraft. One plane would undertake the exercise of cloud seeding while another one would take samples to study its viability.

Solapur in Maharashtra has been chosen as the area for conduct of 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," Rajeevan said.

Several states including Kerala have also been conducting research on cloud seeding.