Monsoon Stuck in Koshi Province Due to Strong Western Winds

This year’s monsoon has stopped in Koshi Province because of strong western winds. According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the monsoon has spread over most parts of Koshi but hasn’t been able to move further west.

“The western winds are quite active right now, so the monsoon is stuck in Koshi Province. It’s likely to stay this way for another two to three days,” said Sanjeev Adhikari, a meteorologist at the Weather Forecast Division.

Normally, the monsoon forms over the Indian Ocean, travels through the Bay of Bengal and India’s Kerala state, and moves northwards. It enters Nepal from the east and gradually spreads to the west. But this year, even after five days of entering the country, the monsoon hasn’t moved past Koshi due to strong western and local winds.

About 80% of Nepal’s total yearly rainfall happens during the monsoon season, which usually lasts around four months.

This year, the monsoon arrived 15 days earlier than usual, starting last Thursday. Normally, it enters Nepal around June 13 (Jestha 30), about 10–13 days after reaching Kerala. But this year, it arrived earlier, making it the earliest monsoon in 29 years—since May 31, 1996. In Kerala, too, it arrived 8 days earlier than average.

The Meteorology Department has predicted above-average rainfall this year. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has warned that the monsoon may increase the risk of floods, landslides, waterlogging, and riverbank erosion.