Monsoon arrives 35 days early in Maharashtra– earliest onset since 1990

Monsoon has arrived in Maharashtra. On Sunday (May 25), the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the onset of the monsoon had been recorded in Maharashtra. Amazingly, this marks the earliest monsoon onset in Maharashtra in 35 years.

As per the IMD, the southwest monsoon is now expected to advance to Mumbai and other parts of the state in the next day.

The earliest monsoon in over three decades

As per a PTI report citing IMD scientist Sushma Nair, this marks the earliest onset in over three decades. Previously in 1990, the southwest monsoon made its onset in Maharashtra on May 20. Over the last two days, Mumbai and the coastal Konkan stretch have been witnessing heavy pre-monsoon rains.

Usually, the monsoon reaches Maharashtra by June 7 and Mumbai by June 11.

This comes after monsoon onset was reported by Kerala on Saturday (May 24) – the earliest onset in nine years. For Kerala, the monsoon is typically recorded around June 1.

IMD said that on Sunday, the monsoon has advanced into parts of the Arabian Sea, Karnataka, entire Goa, parts of Maharashtra, the north Bay of Bengal, and parts of Mizoram, parts of Manipur and Nagaland.

The northern limit of the monsoon passes through Devgad, Belagavi, Haveri, Mandya, Dharmapuri, Chennai, Aizawl and Kohima, it added.

According to monsoon expert M. Rajeevan, the former secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the early onset of the monsoon and it covering a large area on the very first day were not uncommon.

Talking to PTI, he said, "In 1971, the monsoon at the time of onset covered a larger area in Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra."

He predicted that "present active monsoon conditions will continue at least till June 2 and will help to advance the monsoon into Maharashtra and eastern parts of the country."