The southwest monsoon arrived in Maharashtra on Sunday, marking its earliest onset in 35 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The monsoon, which hit Kerala a day earlier, is expected to reach Mumbai and other areas within three days.
The southwest monsoon reached Maharashtra on Sunday, marking its earliest arrival in the state in 35 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The early onset comes a day after the monsoon hit Kerala, making it the swiftest arrival over the Indian mainland since 2009. “The last time the monsoon arrived this early in Maharashtra was on May 20, 1990,” said IMD scientist Sushma Nair. The weather agency said the monsoon is expected to advance further into Mumbai and other parts of the state over the next three days.
In its Sunday bulletin, the IMD said the southwest monsoon had advanced into more parts of the Arabian Sea, Karnataka, entire Goa, parts of Maharashtra, north Bay of Bengal, and parts of Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland. The northern limit of the monsoon now passes through Devgad, Belagavi, Haveri, Mandya, Dharmapuri, Chennai, Aizawl and Kohima, it added.
Conditions remain favourable for further advancement into more parts of the central Arabian Sea, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, the rest of Tamil Nadu, and additional areas of the Bay of Bengal and Northeast over the next three days.
Pre-monsoon showers drench Mumbai, Konkan
In Maharashtra, Mumbai and the coastal Konkan belt have been experiencing heavy pre-monsoon rains over the past two days, further indicating the monsoon’s early momentum. Typically, the southwest monsoon reaches Maharashtra around June 7 and Mumbai by June 11. It usually begins its retreat from northwest India around September 17 and fully withdraws by October 15.
Experts say early onset not unusual
Monsoon expert and former Ministry of Earth Sciences secretary M Rajeevan noted that such early and widespread coverage is not without precedent. “In 1971, the monsoon at the time of onset covered a larger area in Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra,” he said. Rajeevan added that current active monsoon conditions are likely to persist until at least June 2, aiding its continued progress across Maharashtra and eastern India.
(Based on PTI inputs)
