El Niño impact: Monsoon weakens in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The southwest monsoon is weakening in Kerala as the strength of the westerly winds has reduced. Officials said the decline is due to the influence of the El Niño phenomenon. There is no possibility of widespread heavy rainfall in the coming days. Intermittent rains are expected across the state. The Meteorological Department has not issued any rain alerts for any district during the next one week. The fishing ban has also been lifted.

The Meteorological Department had earlier said that the southwest monsoon, which lasts from June to September, is expected to be weaker this year due to the development of El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean.

However, Kerala has not recorded any major deficit in rainfall so far. From June 1 to yesterday, the state received 280.3 mm of rainfall, almost matching the expected rainfall of 280.5 mm during this period.