The Meteorological Department of India (IMD) announced the arrival of South -Western monsoon on Kerala on Saturday – eight days before its normal program. It starts as soon as possible since 2009, when the monsoon reached the southern state on 23 May.Typically, the monsoon hits Kerala by June 1 and then gradually covers the rest of the country until the beginning of July.The monsoon has already covered the entire Lakshadweep region, Kerala, Mahe, parts of Karnataka, the rest of the Maldives and Comorin region, large parts of Tamil Nadu and some areas of Mizoram.It further stated that the situation is favorable for the South -West monsoon in the next 2-3 days. It is likely to cover more parts of the Central Arabian Sea, the entire Goa, Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh, additional areas in Karnataka, the remaining parts of Tamil Nadu, the west-central and northern Gulf of Bengal, more areas in the Northeast and the sub-Hilan West Bengal and parts of Sikkim. According to IMD data, the monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 30, 8, 2023 last year and Kerala on 29 May 2022. Given the previous data, the first beginning on 19 May 1990, which was 13 days before the schedule. While time may vary every year, meteorologists emphasized that the onset date in Kerala does not directly affect the total rainfall or its spread in the rest of India. The IMD had forecast above the normal cumulative rainfall for the first 2025 season. It also rejected the presence of El Nino conditions-a climate pattern is usually associated with a normal monsoon in India.According to IMD, rainfall between 96 percent of an average of 50 years of 87 cm and 104 percent is considered ‘normal’. Less than 90 percent of the long -term average is considered a ‘decrease’; Between 90 percent and 95 percent is ‘below normal’; Between 105 percent and 110 percent is ‘above normal’; And more than 110 percent is considered ‘extra’ rainfall.India saw 934.8 mm of rain in 2024, 108 percent of the average and the highest since 2020. In 2023, it recorded an average of 820 mm, 94.4 percent. In 2022, it saw 925 mm; 870 mm in 2021; And 958 mm in 2020, according to IMD data.The monsoon is important for the agricultural sector of India, which supports livelihood of about 42 percent of the population and contributes 18.2 percent to the country’s GDP. It is also necessary to recreate important reservoirs for drinking water and power generation across the country.
