Monsoon arrives in Kerala, earliest since 2009: IMD
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New Delhi: The southwest monsoon has reached Kerala as of Saturday, marking the earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it began on May 23, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced. Typically, the southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala by June 1 and spreads across the entire country by July 8. It usually starts retreating from northwest India around September 17 and completely withdraws by October 15.
IMD data shows the monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 30 last year; June 8 in 2023; May 29 in 2022; June 3 in 2021; June 1 in 2020; June 8 in 2019, and May 29 in 2018.
Meteorologists caution that there is no direct correlation between the monsoon’s onset date and the total seasonal rainfall across the country. An early or late arrival in Kerala does not necessarily indicate a similar pattern elsewhere in India, as the monsoon is influenced by complex global, regional, and local factors, exhibiting large-scale variability.
In April, the IMD forecasted above-normal cumulative rainfall for the 2025 monsoon season and ruled out the development of El Niño conditions, which are typically linked with below-normal rainfall in the Indian subcontinent.
With PTI inputs