NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon made its onset over Kerala on Thursday, marking the start of the country’s four month rainy season(June-September), according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).“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, entire Lakshadweep islands, Kerala and some parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, remaining parts of Comorin area, southeast Bay of Bengal and some more parts of southwest, west central, east central and north east Bay of Bengal today the 4th June, 2026,” the IMD said.The onset comes later than the IMD’s earlier forecast of May 26. Normally, the southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala around June 1.The development comes days after the weather department revised its forecast for seasonal rainfall outlook, indicating that it would be below normal across the country this year.The IMD expects rainfall in India to be around 90% of the long-period average (LPA) this year.According to the IMD, India is expected to receive rainfall amounting to about 90% of the long period average (LPA) during the season. 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.Based on rainfall data from 1971 to 2020, the country’s seasonal LPA stands at 87 cm. If the monsoon season sees less than 90 % of LPA rainfall, the IMD classifies it as ‘deficient’.Meteorologists have indicated that the possible development of El Nino conditions could contribute to lower rainfall during the monsoon season. At present, neutral El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are gradually shifting towards El Nino conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean.The IMD said El Nino conditions are likely to remain weak during June and could strengthen to moderate or strong levels by September.(With PTI inputs)
