According to news agency PTI, the southwest monsoon made its first appearance on the Indian mainland since 2009, when it arrived in the southern state on May 23. It made landfall in Kerala on Saturday.

The southwest monsoon typically begins over Kerala on June 1 and spreads to the rest of the nation by July 8. Around September 17, it begins to leave northwest India, and by October 15, it has fully withdrawn.

According to IMD statistics, the monsoon arrived over the southern state on May 30 of last year, June 8 of 2023, May 29 of 2022, June 3 of 2021, June 1 of 2020, June 8 of 2019, and May 29 of 2018, according to PTI.

According to data available since 1975, Kerala had the earliest arrival of the monsoon in 1990 (May 19), 13 days ahead of schedule.

Meteorologists claim that there is no correlation between the season’s total rainfall throughout the nation and the beginning date.

The timing of the monsoon’s arrival in Kerala does not necessarily indicate how it will spread across the rest of the nation. According to an IMD official, it is distinguished by global, regional, and local characteristics as well as large-scale variabilities, as reported by PTI.

El Nino conditions, which are linked to below-normal rainfall in the Indian subcontinent, were ruled out of the IMD’s April projection, which called for above-normal cumulative rainfall in the 2025 monsoon season.

Rainfall that falls between 96% and 104% of the 50-year average of 87 cm is deemed “normal” by the IMD.

Rainfall is classified as “deficient” if it falls below 90% of the long-term average, “below normal” if it falls between 90% and 95%, “above normal” if it falls between 105% and 110%, and “excess” if it exceeds 110%, according to PTI.

In 2024, India had 934.8 mm of rain, which was the most since 2020 and 108% of the average.

It measured 820 mm in 2023, which is 94.4% of the average.

IMD data shows that it saw 925 mm in 2022, 870 mm in 2021, and 958 mm in 2020.

The agricultural industry in India, which provides a living for around 42% of the population and accounts for 18.2% of the nation’s GDP, depends heavily on the monsoon.

Restoring the reservoirs that are vital to the nation’s electricity and drinking water production is also crucial.