The southwest monsoon made an early arrival over Kerala on Saturday, advancing eight days ahead of the expected June 1 onset, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed. This marks the earliest arrival of the monsoon over the Indian mainland since 2009.
The early onset is expected to influence weather patterns across the subcontinent, bringing much-needed rainfall to key agricultural regions. The IMD noted that favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions accelerated the monsoon’s advance over the southern coast.
Meteorologists are now closely monitoring its progress, with the monsoon likely to spread further across the southern and western parts of the country in the coming days. The development has raised hopes for timely sowing in rain-fed farming regions but also prompted disaster management agencies to remain on alert due to the potential for intense rain and flooding in some areas.