A woman uses her hand to confirm the arrival of monsoon in downtown Yangon. Pic: Chris Davy

MONSOON season completed its arrival in Myanmar last week, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

Monsoon rains started in the southernmost part of the country on May 11, reached the Ayeyarwady delta on May 14, and advanced to central regions on May 20 and northern areas on May 31.

The department predicted that rainfall during the peak monsoon would be normal, while precipitation would be lower than normal during late monsoon.
U Tun Lwin, the director general of the department, said that early monsoon season usually brings unstable weather patterns to the Bay of Bengal, so stormy weather can be expected in June.

“There are an average of six storms in the Bay of Bengal every year but few of them hit Myanmar,” he said. “Of the 1300 storms that have occurred in the bay area in the past 120 years, about 80 have crossed into Myanmar.”

He said that according to current measurements, Rakhine State, Tanintharyi Division and the Ayeyarwady delta were likely to get more rain than usual in June, while the country’s central areas will receive little precipitation.

“There is also no danger at this point of rivers rising to dangerous levels, as there has been little rain in northern parts of the country where the major rivers originate,” U Tun Lwin said.