Monsoon arrives in Nepal after a delay of three days

  • Monsoon in Nepal generally starts on June 10 and spreads over the country in a few days, and remains effective till September 23

KATHMANDU: The Meteorological Forecasting Division has officially announced the arrival of monsoon.

The MFD said the monsoon has reached Nepal after weather pattern started building up to dispel the clouds of uncertainty hanging over the arrival of rains. “A weak surge of monsoon has entered the eastern parts of Nepal three days later than the normal date of monsoon onset,” it said, adding, conditions are favourable for progressive westward advancement of monsoon in remaining parts of the country over the next few days.

According to the MFD, the thundercloud developed over Pokhara and surrounding areas is likely to intensify and move towards east with thundershower activities. The thundercloud developed along Bihar and adjoining areas is likely to intensify with thundershower activities in the eastern region.

“These rain-producing weather systems have the possibility of isolated brief heavy thundershowers and are likely to trigger flood and landslides in the central and eastern regions where huge swaths of land are already ruptured by the earthquakes,” it cautioned.

Monsoon in Nepal generally starts on June 10 and spreads over the country in a few days, and remains effective till September 23. It was delayed by three days this year.

Weather scientists said the Cyclone Asoba developed over the Arabian Sea prevented the monsoon precipitation from advancing to Nepal. A depression formed over the east-central Arabian Sea had also resulted in the delay for a few days.

With the arrival of monsoon, the prevailing hot and dry condition, mainly over central and western Nepal, is expected to return to normal.

Nepal receives an average of 80 per cent of annual rainfall during the monsoon, which originates in the Bay of Bengal and moves along the southern flanks of the Himalayas, bringing rains to Nepal. The average annual rainfall in Nepal is 1,600 mm, but it varies from place to place depending on the climatic conditions.

Last year too, the monsoon was delayed by 10 days and the country received just 87 per cent of annual average monsoon rainfall, which is below normal, thanks to El Nino effect, a regional weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.

The South Asian Climate Outlook Forum had recently issued its seasonal outlook, predicting below-normal rainfall over large tracts of South Asia, including Nepal, even during this year’s summer monsoon ‘largely because of the weak El Nino effect’.