NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The onset marks the beginning of the four-month southwest monsoon season(June-September), which usually reaches the state around June 1.
"The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, some parts of west-central and east-central Arabian Sea, the entire Lakshadweep islands, Kerala and Mahe, some parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, remaining parts of the Comorin area, southeast Bay of Bengal and some more parts of southwest, west-central, east-central and northeast Bay of Bengal today, the 4th June, 2026," the IMD said.
Earlier, the weather department had predicted that the monsoon would reach Kerala on May 26. However, its arrival was delayed.
Last week, the department revised its forecast for seasonal rainfall, indicating that it would be below normal.
The IMD expects rainfall in India to be around 90 per cent of the long-period average (LPA) this year.
The LPA refers to the rainfall recorded in a specific region over a defined period, such as a month or season, averaged over a long duration, typically 30 to 50 years.
The long-period average (LPA) of seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole, based on data from 1971 to 2020, is 87 cm.
If the monsoon season receives less than 90 per cent of LPA rainfall, the IMD classifies it as "deficient".
One reason behind the below-normal rainfall could be the emergence of El Niño conditions, which are associated with reduced monsoon rainfall in India.
Currently, neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are transitioning towards El Niño conditions over the equatorial Pacific region.
The IMD said El Niño conditions are likely to remain weak in June and strengthen to moderate or strong levels by September.