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On May 15, the weather office had announced the onset of monsoon over Kerala by May 31.
Southwest monsoon made an early onset over Kerala and northeastern region on Thursday, setting the stage for the four-month rainy season crucial for India's agriculture-based economy.
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According to IMD, the simultaneous onset of monsoon over Kerala and the northeast is quite rare and has happened on four occasions earlier, in 2017, 1997, 1995 and 1991.
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Kerala has been receiving heavy rains for the past few days resulting in a surplus May rainfall, the weather office data showed.
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The IMD declares the onset of monsoon over Kerala when over 14 stations in the state and neighbouring areas receive 2.5 mm or more rainfall for two consecutive days anytime after May 10, the Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) is low, and the direction of the winds is southwesterly.
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Between 1971 and 2024, the earliest onset of monsoon over Kerala was in 1990 when the annual rains reached the coastal state on May 18.
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