Southwest Monsoon Arrives in Kerala, Heavy Rains Trigger Orange Alert

The southwest monsoon officially set in over Kerala on Thursday , bringing heavy rainfall to several parts of the state and prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an orange alert in three districts.

The weather agency said the monsoon had advanced into the remaining parts of the southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, the entire Lakshadweep region, Kerala and Mahe, parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and several areas of the Bay of Bengal.

As rains intensified across Kerala overnight, the IMD issued an orange alert for Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts, warning of thunderstorms, heavy rainfall and surface wind speeds of up to 40 kmph . Moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds was also forecast for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Thrissur districts.

An orange alert indicates the likelihood of very heavy rainfall ranging from 11 cm to 20 cm within 24 hours . Earlier, the IMD had placed eight districts under orange alert as the state prepared for the monsoon's onset.

The monsoon typically reaches Kerala around June 1 , marking the beginning of the four-month rainy season across the country. While the IMD had initially forecast an onset date of May 26 , the arrival was delayed by more than a week.

Despite the monsoon's arrival, the IMD recently revised its seasonal outlook, projecting below-normal rainfall during the June-September period. The department expects India to receive around 90 per cent of the long-period average (LPA) rainfall this year, compared with the national seasonal average of 87 cm .

The IMD said the emergence of El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific could contribute to reduced rainfall. Current neutral conditions are expected to gradually transition towards El Niño, which is likely to remain weak in June before strengthening to moderate or strong levels by September.