KATHMANDU, JUNE 5

The Meteorological Forecasting Division has officially announced the arrival of monsoon in Nepal, eight days before the date of normal onset of the rainy season.

A special weather bulletin issued by the MFD said the monsoon trough entered Nepal from the east today.

'Province 1 has welcomed the monsoon. It will advance to the remaining parts of the country within a few days,' reads the bulletin.

The crucial weather system has already built up in the Bay of Bengal. The normal date for onset of monsoon in Nepal is June 13. It remains effective till the third week of September.

The country receives an average of 80 per cent of annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which originates in the Bay of Bengal and moves along the southern flanks of the Himalayas, bringing rain to Nepal.

The average annual rainfall in Nepal is 1,600 mm, but it varies from place to place depending on the climatic conditions.

According to a long-range forecast recently released by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, this monsoon season is most likely to bring above-normal rain across the country.

The forecast was based on observation and a report from the World Meteorological Organisation.

A seasonal outlook issued by the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum for 2022 has also predicted normal to above normal rainfall in most parts of this region, including Nepal.

Monsoon is the wettest season and is the main source of precipitation in Nepal. The effect of monsoon is prominent in the eastern part of the country.

The northern and mid-western regions are generally drier compared to the eastern parts.

Monsoon lasts for an average of 105 days. As per the MFD statistics, Nepal experienced the shortest monsoon for 73 days in 1979 while 2008 witnessed the longest monsoon of 130 days.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 6, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.