KATHMANDU, June 8: The Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) has announced that monsoon has formally entered Nepal Friday, two days prior to the normal onset.

The arrival of monsoon in Nepal this year is timely after nine years, according to MFD meteorologists.

“Monsoon entered Nepal from the eastern part through the Bay of Bengal formally from Friday. If we compare the trend of the monsoon onset of the past nine years, monsoon has arrived timely this year,” Meteorologist Subash Rimal said.

In 2008, monsoon had arrived on June 10, the normal monsoon arrival date. But in 2009, monsoon had entered on June 23, almost thirteen days past the normal date. Similarly, in 2010, monsoon came on June 17, on June 15 in 2011, on June 16 in 2012, on June 14 in 2013, and June 20 in 2014. Similarly, in 2015, 2016 and 2017, monsoon had entered the country on June 13, June 15 and June 12 respectively.

MFD has forecast normal rainfall across the country during this year's monsoon season, which lasts till the end of September. During the monsoon season, Nepal witnesses over 80 percent of the total annual rainfall.

“Rainfall witnessed in the past few days in various parts of the country was the pre-monsoon rainfall. It was due to the arrival of monsoon moisture, which is a normal phenomenon before the onset of the monsoon. But from Friday, monsoon became dominant,” Rimal said.

According to him, monsoon, which has entered the country from the eastern part Friday, will gradually expand toward central and western parts of the country in a few days.

“The eastern parts will witness rainfall in the initial few days and the rainfall will gradually advance toward the western part via the central part. The rainfall in the eastern part may also lead to development of local rain systems and cause occasional rainfall in central as well as western parts in the initial days,” Rimal said.

Over the past few years, Nepali farmers had suffered the most due to the delayed monsoon.

With the monsoon entering the country on time this year, it has been expected that crop yields will be high this year.

 
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