Southwest monsoon likely to reach Kerala on May 31: IMD

The southwest monsoon is expected to set in over Kerala around May 31, marking the onset of the rainy season, as per the current climatic predictors, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Wednesday.The actual onset could happen between May 27 and June 4, the weather department said. The southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of about seven days."This year, the southwest monsoon is likely to set over Kerala to be on 31st May with a model error of +/- 4 days," the weather agency said in its latest forecast.The IMD further said that the southwest monsoon is very likely to advance into South Andaman Sea, some parts of the Southeast Bay of Bengal and Nicobar Islands around May 19.
The southwest monsoon, a seasonal wind pattern that brings vital rainfall to India is critical to India's agriculture, as it provides the majority of the country's annual rainfall. The monsoon blows from the southwest, typically arriving in Kerala around the beginning of June and retreating by the end of September. According to IMD, this year, above-normal rainfall is expected during the monsoon season.