News in Frames: Chasing the monsoon

The Hindu

25-05-2025

The southwest monsoon, which kick-starts the agrarian economy of India every year, has inspired poets, filmmakers and artists, with a literary work as ancient as Kalidasa's Meghdoot describing its arrival.
Gusty winds and the repeated pattern and direction of coastal waves are strong indications for a fisherman to gauge the arrival of the rains. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has a certain set of criteria to follow before declaring the onset of the southwest monsoon, which usually hits the Kerala coast roughly between May and June every year. Specifications such as the amount of rainfall, wind speed and direction, and the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) recorded by satellites have to fall in a range for a specific period of time for meteorologists to declare the onset.
This year, there has been a significant shift in the weather pattern. Unlike previous years, pre-monsoon rain has caused havoc in some South Indian cities. Bengaluru has witnessed a flood-like situation with all its major roads waterlogged for days. In the past, the city has seen similar floods and extremely heavy rain during peak monsoon or the post-monsoon period. However, this is the first time the city got flooded during pre-monsoon rain.
Parts of Tamil Nadu, mainly Chennai, Puducherry and Karaikal, have received light to moderate rain, bringing relief from the summer heat, and conditions have remained favourable for an early onset of the monsoon in the State for over a week.
The upper cyclonic circulation over the coast of Andhra Pradesh is attributed to the advancement of the monsoon in the State, resulting in moderate rain that continued in Visakhapatnam with dark clouds covering the skies throughout the week. The low-pressure system over the Arabian Sea has also favoured an early onset and advancement of the monsoon in the State.
'The onset phase is going to be vigorous, and we are expecting continuous very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in most of the districts of Kerala in the next three days. The prevailing La-Nina-like condition in the Pacific Ocean should also give good rain this monsoon,' says Neetha Gopal, scientist and Director of IMD, Thiruvananthapuram.
Some meteorologists predicted a rare occurrence of monsoon onset in Kerala and parts of Karnataka simultaneously as conditions have remained favourable throughout the week in both the States. 'We were still missing the OLR data which should be below 200 W/m 2 in the range between 5-10° N Latitude and 70-75° E Longitude, the reason why monsoon onset could not be declared in Kerala on Friday,' said Rajeevan K., meteorologist with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority.
On Saturday afternoon, the IMD officially declared the onset of the southwest monsoon, which is eight days in advance of the normal date, thus marking the earliest onset of the monsoon since 2009.
Last month, the IMD said India was likely to receive 'above normal' monsoon rainfall, or 5% more than the historical average of 87 centimeters
(Text by Nirmal Harindran)
Windy day: A man walks along the promenade on the Shangumugham beach in Thiruvananthapuram, a significant entry point of the monsoon on mainland India.
Bolt from the blue: A streak of lightning illuminates the sky over a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru on the picturesque Beach Road in Visakhapatnam on May 12.
Coastal vibes: Women enjoy the rain, waves and wind on the Puthuvype beach in Kochi on May 22 as the overcast sky portends a heavy spell.
Towards shelter: Rescue personnel take stranded people to safety on a dinghy through a flooded street in Sai Layout in Bengaluru on May 19 as overnight showers inundated the city.
Slow business: A pushcart vendor taking cover under his umbrella braves heavy rain as motorists whiz past at Minsk Square in the central business district of Bengaluru on May 17.
Topsy-turvy world: A boy and girl practise mallakhamb as clouds darken the Mumbai skyline at Shivaji Park on May 20.
Grey outlook: Dark clouds loom over the Puthuvype beach in Kochi in Kerala as heavy rain pummelled the coastal city on May 21.
Rain song: A man and woman ride through pounding rain on a two-wheeler as pre-monsoon rain lashes Visakhapatnam on May 21.
Relaxed mood: A man rests on the beach as waves lap around him while two women enjoy the showers at Kannamaly in Kochi in Kerala on May 24.