Southwest Monsoon Likely to Reach Kerala on May 26

16-May-2026 10:41 AM

New Delhi. In its latest update, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that the Southwest Monsoon is likely to make its entry into the Indian mainland this year on May 26—six days ahead of its scheduled arrival date of June 1. Typically, the monsoon first arrives in India along the southernmost coast of Kerala—specifically the Calicut coast—and subsequently advances from there, progressively covering other parts of the country.

Conditions conducive to the formation of the monsoon over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea have already become favorable. The monsoon generally arrives in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by May 16 or 17.

After remaining active there for approximately ten days, the monsoon advances toward Kerala and subsequently reaches various other regions of the country.

This update from the Meteorological Department offers at least one significant assurance: that the El Niño weather cycle will not hinder the arrival of the monsoon. With the monsoon arriving six days ahead of schedule, its activity is likely to intensify earlier across other parts of the country as well, thereby providing substantial assistance to farmers in the cultivation of Kharif crops.

Currently, high temperatures coupled with a lack of rainfall have led to a severe depletion of moisture in the soil across agricultural fields. If the country receives good rainfall in June, water levels in dams and reservoirs—which have been steadily declining over the past several months—could also rise.