Southwest Monsoon is expected to reach Kerala around May 31, marking the beginning of the four-month rainy season crucial for India's agricultural economy.
"This year, the Southwest Monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on May 31 with a model error of four days," the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.
"This is not early; it's close to the normal date," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
According to IMD data, the onset of monsoon in Kerala has varied widely over the last 150 years. The earliest onset was on May 11, 1918, and the latest was on June 18, 1972.
The rain-bearing system arrived in the southern state on June 8 last year, May 29 in 2022, June 3 in 2021, and June 1 in 2020.
Last month, the IMD forecasted above-normal rainfall during the monsoon season in India, with favourable La Niña conditions expected to set in by August-September.
Parts of the country experienced extreme heat in April, with maximum temperatures breaking records in several states, severely impacting health and livelihoods.
The intense heat is straining power grids and causing water bodies to dry up, leading to drought-like conditions in parts of the country. Therefore, the prediction of above-normal monsoonal rainfall comes as a huge relief to the rapidly developing South Asian nation.
The monsoon is critical for India's agricultural landscape, with 52 per cent of the net cultivated area relying on it. It is also crucial for replenishing reservoirs critical for drinking water and power generation across the country.
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