The ferocity of the monsoon onset phase in Sri Lanka triggering floods and landslides and claiming 90 lives as of yesterday should make authorities on India's West Coast sit up and take notice.

The monsoon has covered only the southern parts of the island nation, as is clear from the depiction of its northern limit by India Met Department (IMD).

Heavy rains likely

The IMD expects the monsoon next to enter South Kerala on India's South-West coast and the North-Eastern tip over the next four to five days, and sees above normal rain over some parts.

The US Climate Prediction Centre points to the Western Ghat areas along Goa and Konkan, Coastal Karnataka and North Kerala are likely to get heavy rain between June 2 and 8.

Meanwhile, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts appears to signal a moderate cyclone in the making over the Bay of Bengal and readying for a landfall around May 30.

The storm is likely eyeing the Sunderbans and adjoining North-West Bangladesh Bangladesh and North-East India for a landfall and concentrated heavy rainfall.

Storm lookout

Early this morning, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre located the preparatory low-pressure area about 963 km south-southwest of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

It assessed that the system is gifted with every attribute for growth as a potential storm, travelling north-eastward across the Bay.

After the would-be cyclone dissipates, the activity is expected to shift to the Arabian Sea with the maximum of the heavy rainfall spending out in the seas.

The West Coast would only get a minor share, especially along the aforementioned Ghat areas, which are prone to flooding and landslides.

The US National Centres for Environmental Prediction is of the view that the Konkan-Goa-Coastal Karnataka-North Kerala belt would witness heavy rainfall during June 4 to 12.

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