STRONG southwest monsoon conditions will continue in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal until the end of June, bringing high winds to coastal areas of Myanmar, U Tun Lwin, the director general of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, said last week.

“The department forecast that 2008 would have a strong early monsoon period with conditions favourable for the development of high winds through the end of this month,” he said.

The department had issued a statement on June 15 warning of strong winds and rough seas along coastal areas of the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, as well as high winds in the Ayeyarwady delta.

U Tun Lwin said the strong monsoon conditions were bringing heavy rain to Rakhine, Mon and Kayin states, and Tanintharyi, southern Bago, Ayeyarwady and Yangon divisions. However, none of these areas have received record-breaking rainfall since monsoon started.

He said this year’s unusual monsoon pattern could mean that more storms will occur during the late period than during the peak period in July and August.
“Usually there are no more than three storms during the peak monsoon season in July and August, but there is a high probability that we will see more than three storms in the late period,” U Tun Lwin.

He said heavy rains in the peak period might cause the water in smaller rivers like Sittaung, Bago and Myit Nge to reach dangerous levels on two or three occasions.

However, the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin rivers are not expected to flood because light rainfall has been forecast in northern regions where these waterways originate.

Last year flooding occurred on the Chindwin, Ayeyarwady, Bago, Myit Nge, Shwe Kyin and Sittaung rivers, and 16 new rainfall records were set throughout the country, according to department records.