IMD said, “Southwest Monsoon has set in over Kerala today, the 24th May, 2025, against the normal date of 1st June. Thus, southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala 8 days before the normal date.”
The southwest monsoon reached Kerala on Saturday (May 24), marking its earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009 when it began on May 23, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Normally, the southwest monsoon makes its onset over Kerala by June 1 and covers the entire country by July 8. It starts retreating from northwest India around September 17 and withdraws completely by October 15.
The monsoon set in over the southern state on May 30 last year; June 8 in 2023; May 29 in 2022; June 3 in 2021; June 1 in 2020; June 8 in 2019; and May 29 in 2018, IMD data showed.
According to meteorologists, there is no direct relationship between the onset date and the total rainfall over the country during the season. The monsoon arriving early or late in Kerala does not mean it will cover other parts of the country accordingly. It is characterised by large-scale variabilities and global, regional and local features.
The IMD in April forecast above-normal cumulative rainfall in the 2025 monsoon season, ruling out the possibility of El Nino conditions, which are associated with below-normal rainfall in the Indian subcontinent.
Rain forecast for weekend in Delhi
The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 28.4 degrees Celsius, 1.7 notches below the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has forecast thunderstorm with rain for Saturday and Sunday, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 37 degrees Celsius.
The relative humidity was recorded at 62 per cent at 8:30 am on Saturday. The air quality was “moderate” at 9 am, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 120, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
Temperature soar up to 48 degrees across several parts of Rajasthan
The ongoing heatwave in Rajasthan is expected to continue for the next five days, with several districts recording temperatures between 44 degree celsius and 48 degree celsius, worsening the dry conditions across the region, said the Indian Meterological Department (IMD). “The weather remained dry across Rajasthan, with the highest maximum temperature touching 48.0°C in Jaisalmer. Heatwave conditions were observed in Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Bikaner divisions. As of 1730 IST, average humidity levels across most parts of the state ranged between 20 and 40 per cent,” weather department said.
Speaking to media, Radheshyam Sharma, Director of the Meteorological Centre, Jaipur, said, “Jaisalmer recorded the highest temperature in the last 24 hours, reaching 48 degrees Celsius. Severe heatwave conditions continue to persist in several districts of Rajasthan, including Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Ganganagar, and Phalodi, with maximum temperatures expected between 46 to 48 degrees Celsius.”