India's Monsoon Arrives Early, Marking 16-Year Record

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A worker tidies up the beach at Fort Kochi in Kochi, with pre-monsoon clouds in the background, on May 9, 2019 — Reuters

The monsoon rains made their first appearance on the coast of Kerala, India’s southernmost state, on Saturday, arriving eight days ahead of schedule. This marks the earliest onset in 16 years, bringing hopes for a bountiful harvest and relief from an intense heatwave.

The monsoon is crucial for India’s economy, which is valued at $4 trillion, providing nearly 70% of the rainfall necessary to irrigate farms and replenish essential water sources like aquifers and reservoirs. Approximately half of India’s agricultural land, which lacks irrigation systems, relies entirely on the June to September monsoon rains to grow various crops.

Typically, the summer rains start affecting Kerala around June 1, spreading across the country by mid-July, enabling farmers to sow essential crops such as rice, corn, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Saturday that this year’s southwest monsoon began over Kerala on May 24, making it the earliest since May 23, 2009.

The monsoon has already passed over Kerala and parts of neighboring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as well as regions in the northeastern state of Mizoram, according to the IMD’s report.

Favorable conditions are expected to allow the monsoon to extend into Goa, portions of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, northeastern states, West Bengal, and the remaining segments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the next two to three days.

Early rainfall and the swift arrival of the monsoon are anticipated to assist farmers—especially in southern and central states—in planting summer crops sooner than usual, stated Ashwini Bansod, vice president of commodities research at Phillip Capital India, based in Mumbai.

“The combination of sufficient soil moisture and early planting could significantly enhance crop yields,” Bansod added.

Last year, the monsoon reached Kerala’s coast on May 30, with summer rains being the highest since 2020, aiding recovery from drought conditions in 2023.

The IMD forecasted above-average monsoon rainfall for the second consecutive year in 2025.

The department considers average or normal rainfall to be between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for this four-month season.