New Delhi: Southwest Monsoon hit Kerala on Saturday (May 24) eight days ahead of its usual schedule. This marks the earliest onset since 2009, when the monsoon reached the southern state on 23 May.
Typically, the monsoon hits Kerala by 1 June and then gradually covers the rest of the country by early July.
The monsoon has already covered the entire Lakshadweep region, Kerala, Mahe, parts of Karnataka, the rest of the Maldives, and Comorin area, large parts of Tamil Nadu, and some areas of Mizoram.
In a statement the India Meteorological Department said, ” Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of south Arabian Sea, some parts of westcentral & eastcentral Arabian Sea, entire Lakshadweep area, Kerala, Mahe, some parts of Karnataka more parts of the west-central and north Bay of Bengal, more areas in the Northeast, and some parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim”.
The weather agency earlier sounded a red alert for the Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Thrissur, Idukki, and Malappuram districts of Kerala.
Heavy rain continued to lash various parts of Kerala, cutting off power supply to various cities. Trees, branches came down in several places, affecting traffic flow and snapping overhead power lines.
IMD had earlier forecast above-normal cumulative rainfall for the 2025 season. It also ruled out the presence of El Nino conditions — a climate pattern typically linked with below-normal monsoons in India.
According to the IMD, rainfall between 96 per cent and 104 per cent of the 50-year average of 87 cm is considered ‘normal’.
Rainfall less than 90 per cent of the long-period average is considered ‘deficient’; between 90 per cent and 95 per cent is ‘below normal’; between 105 per cent and 110 per cent is ‘above normal’; and more than 110 per cent is considered ‘excess’ precipitation.
