Monsoon makes landfall in Kerala

# Ajayan

The southwest monsoon swept into Kerala on Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced; a full eight days ahead of its usual arrival on June 1. In Kerala, the first drops of rain are more than mere weather as they signal the onset of the monsoon across the subcontinent. This year's early onset is among the earliest after the last being May 23, 2009. Since 1975, the earliest recorded onset occurred on May 19, in the year 1990.

Meteorologists in Cochin University of Science and Technology had earlier on Saturday said the Arabian sea system was getting into a depression and moderately deep clouds were approaching Kerala coast.

Its arrival, though eagerly awaited, has been marked by widespread disruption with roads collapsing, low-lying areas lying submerged and trees getting uprooted. The Kerala State Disaster Management has put out warnings to people across the State.

The days ahead are poised to bring further turbulence, with isolated spells of extremely heavy rainfall forecast across Kerala from May 24 to 26. This spell of intense rain is expected to persist through May 29. The IMD has sounded a red alert for Saturday in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Thrissur, Idukki and Malappuram districts.

For May 26, red alert warnings have been issued for Kasargode, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Ernakulam and Idukki districts, with very heavy rainfall anticipated across other districts as well. On May 27, the red alert remains in force for Kasargode, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram and Pathanamthitta.

Meteorologists caution that there is no direct link between the timing of the monsoon's onset and the total rainfall the country receives over the season. The early arrival in Kerala, they note, does not necessarily foretell how the monsoon will unfold across the subcontinent. Still, signs of its intensity are already visible, with Karnataka and Maharashtra beginning to experience the monsoon's growing ferocity.

In April, IMD had predicted above-normal cumulative rainfall for the 2025 monsoon season, and ruled out the possibility of El Nino (effect of the warming of the central Pacific Ocean) conditions, typically associated with below-normal rainfall in the Indian subcontinent.