Monsoon enters India with thunderous knock via Kerala, IMD warns of heavy rain

The official announcement of the monsoon's arrival comes after widespread rainfall and favourable atmospheric conditions satisfied the IMD's criteria, marking the beginning of India's much-awaited rainy season.

In Short

• Southwest monsoon onset declared over Kerala on June 4, delayed by four days
• Heavy rain and orange alerts issued for Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts
• Monsoon expected to reach central India by mid-June and Delhi by June 27

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday, June 4, declared the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala, marking the official start of India's rainy season after a delay of three days from its usual arrival date of June 1.

The weather agency had earlier said that the conditions had become favourable for the monsoon to advance into Kerala and adjoining regions, bringing widespread rainfall across the state.

The monsoon's declaration comes after days of anticipation.

In May, the IMD had initially forecast an early onset around May 26, but changing atmospheric conditions slowed the monsoon's progress. The weather department later revised its forecast and said the monsoon was likely to reach Kerala around June 4, which has now happened.

HEAVY RAIN HITS KERALA

Kerala, being the first destination for the monsoon, is seeing heavy rain across the state.

The IMD was monitoring rainfall in Kerala for the past few days, waiting for atmospheric conditions to meet its threshold for an official monsoon declaration.

The weather department said that all key meteorological conditions required for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala were met on June 4.

Over the past two days, rain-bearing clouds increased over the southeast Arabian Sea, while the westerly winds grew stronger, extending up to 4.5 kilometres above sea level, indicating a well-established monsoon flow.

At the same time, Kerala witnessed widespread rainfall, with isolated areas receiving heavy showers over the past two days.

The widespread rainfall, strengthening winds and increased cloud cover created the conditions required for the formal declaration of monsoon onset.

On Thursday morning, heavy rain continued to douse several parts of the state, with the IMD issuing an orange alert for Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts, and warning of thunderstorms, heavy rainfall and surface winds that could reach speeds of up to 40 kmph.

WHEN WILL MONSOON REACH NORTH INDIA?

With the southwest monsoon finally arriving in Kerala, attention is now turning to the rest of the country, particularly northern states that have endured weeks of intense heat and have been waiting for relief to arrive.

The monsoon typically advances steadily through June, spreading quickly along the west coast and across much of the Northeast before reaching central India, including Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, around the middle of the month. It then continues its journey towards eastern and northern regions.

Delhi usually sees the arrival of monsoon rains around June 27, while most parts of northwest India, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh, are generally covered by the end of June or during the first week of July.

If weather conditions remain favourable, the seasonal rains are expected to reach large parts of north India by early July.

With the onset of the monsoon now declared, meteorologists will be closely monitoring whether the monsoon sticks to the schedule.

- Ends