Monsoon slightly delayed in Kerala: IMD

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said the southwest monsoon may hit Kerala by June 7 due to a slight delay. "The statistical model forecast suggests that the monsoon onset over Kerala is likely to be slightly delayed. The southwest monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on June 7 with a model error of four days," an IMD statement said. Normally, the monsoon rains begin in Kerala on June 1. But the "slight delay" would not affect the overall cumulative rainfall in the country, IMD officials said. "We continue without prediction of 106 percent rainfall this year. The delay predicted in Kerala is not much. A standard deviation of four to five days expected," an IMD official told IANS. IMD also said that conditions were becoming favourable for the onset of southwest monsoon over Nicobar Island, south Andaman Sea and parts of Bay of Bengal around May 17. Some experts had predicted that monsoon would reach Kerala by May 28 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by May 15.