Southwest monsoon begins; bad weather ahead
According to the Met office, due to the strong westerly winds over the Maldives, the weather is likely to be rough over the weekend.
By
Aminath Shifleen
The southwest monsoon has officially begun on Thursday for most parts of the country. Maldives Meteorological Service has warned of strong winds, rough seas and heavy rainfall in the coming days.
It has been a week since clouds have been gathering and frequent showers have been hitting several parts of the country. However, the southwest monsoon started in the southern atolls on Wednesday, as per the monsoon calendar, while it started in the central part of the country on Thursday.
The parameter for the onset of the southwest monsoon:
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The southwest monsoon will start from the southern atolls, after which it will affect the central Maldives; by the end of May, the entire country will start experiencing the tropical wet season
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2.5 mm or more rainfall in southern atolls since the beginning of May; this situation may continue for two days or even longer
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Gusts of up to 10 nautical miles per hour while the wind speed is between the west and southwest; and the situation will continue for two days or even longer
"As per the weather data of the last few years, the southwest monsoon usually starts in the second week of May. But this year, the monsoon has started a little early," said an official from the MET office.
Rough days ahead
The southwest monsoon continues till November. During those six months, the seas will normally be rough and it will rain consistently.
According to the MET office, due to the strong westerly winds over the Maldives, the weather is likely to be rough on the weekend, starting from Thursday onwards. In particular, the central and southern parts of the country will generally be windy and the seas are expected to be rough.
The weather will start improving after Tuesday, according to the Met forecast.
On these days:
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Wind speeds of 15-25 miles per hour
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Winds gusting up to 40-50 miles per hour are likely to prevail, making seas rough
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Some islands are likely to witness high tide and swelling
"Therefore, seafarers are advised to keep an eye on the weather and take measures to avoid the dangers and minimise the damage that could be caused by strong winds," the MET office said in a statement.
