Southwest Monsoon Likely To Reach Kerala By May 31, Says IMD

The Southwest Monsoon is expected to arrive in Kerala around May 31, the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. This will initiate the four-month rainfall season, which is crucial for India's economy.

"This year, the Southwest Monsoon is likely to set over Kerala on May 31 with a model error of four days," said the India Meteorological Department in a release issued on Wednesday.

In 2023, the onset of the monsoon over Kerala was delayed by a week to June 8, according to the IMD website.

"This is not early. It's a near-normal date, as the normal date for the onset of monsoon over Kerala is June 1," said IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.

Last month, the IMD forecast above-normal rainfall during the June–September Southwest Monsoon season.

One of the two factors favouring plentiful rain was a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, or a cooler than normal Indian Ocean in the east as compared to the west, which again helps bring rain to several States in southern India. The IOD is currently 'neutral' and is expected to turn positive by August.

Another factor was a below-normal snow cover in the northern hemisphere and Eurasia. Historically, there was an 'inverse relationship' between the levels of snow here and the monsoon, Mohapatra had said last month.

(With inputs from PTI)