Mumbai, May 26 — India’s annual southwest monsoon reached Maharashtra on Sunday, marking its earliest arrival in the state in 35 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, in a development that could positively influence the upcoming kharif sowing season.
The monsoon, which typically enters Maharashtra around June 7, advanced into the state on May 25, just one day after it made landfall in Kerala, the earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009. “This is the earliest monsoon onset in Maharashtra since 1990, when it arrived on May 20,” Sushma Nair, a scientist with the IMD, said.
The IMD said the monsoon had also progressed over entire Goa, parts of Karnataka, north Bay of Bengal, and the northeastern states of Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland.
The northern limit of the monsoon, which marks the leading edge of its advance, now passes through Devgad, Belagavi, Haveri, Mandya, Dharmapuri, Chennai, Aizawl, and Kohima, according to the agency’s latest update.
Heavy pre-monsoon rains have already lashed Mumbai and the Konkan coast, signalling the imminent arrival of full-scale monsoon conditions in the region. The IMD expects the system to advance further into Mumbai, more parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka (including Bengaluru), Andhra Pradesh, and additional northeastern states within the next three days.
“Conditions are favourable for further advancement,” the IMD noted, citing the strengthening of westerly winds and favourable sea surface temperatures in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
The early onset is likely to benefit agricultural activity, particularly for farmers in central and southern India who rely on the southwest monsoon for rain-fed farming. The kharif cropping season, which includes staples such as rice, pulses, and oilseeds, typically begins with the arrival of the monsoon.
However, weather experts urge caution. M. Rajeevan, a former secretary at the Ministry of Earth Sciences and a veteran monsoon researcher, said that while early onset is notable, it doesn’t necessarily predict total seasonal rainfall.
“In 1971, the monsoon covered parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra early on,” Rajeevan said. “A robust start doesn’t always guarantee a strong season. What matters is the distribution of rainfall over time and space.”
The southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around June 1 and takes about six weeks to cover the entire country, typically by July 8. The withdrawal process begins in northwest India around September 17 and completes by October 15. Its performance is critical for India, where nearly half the cultivated land depends on monsoon rains and more than 60% of the population is involved in agriculture-related livelihoods.
