New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department on Monday stated in its latest update that during the next five days, conditions are probably going to get favourable for the onset of the Southwest Monsoon over Kerala. According to weather agency predictions, Kerala is expected to experience the southwest monsoon on May 31, one day ahead of the typical June 1 arrival date.
Pre-monsoon rains are currently falling in Kerala. Rainfall during the monsoon season (June to September) throughout the entire nation in 2023 was 94% of the long-term average. The monsoon onset over Kerala, which signifies the advance of the southwest monsoon across the Indian mainland, is a significant indicator of the change from a hot and dry season to a rainy one.
In the places it tends to cover, relief from the searing summer temperatures is felt as the monsoon moves northward. The Indian agricultural sector depends heavily on these rains, particularly for kharif crops. Three farming seasons occur in India: summer, kharif, and rabi.
Crops that are sown during October and November and the produce harvested from January depending on maturity are Rabi. Crops sown during June-July and dependent on monsoon rains are harvested in October-November are kharif. Crops produced between Rabi and Kharif are Summer crops.
The Kharif crops have always been highly reliant on the regular flow of monsoon rainfall. Among the principal crops grown during Kharif are cotton, moong, bajra, maize, groundnuts, and soy. An investigation by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) shows that the dependence of Kharif crop yield on monsoon rainfall has been gradually declining.
The southwest monsoon (June–September) this year is predicted to be above normal (106 percent of the long-period average), according to the IMD’s first long-range forecast earlier this year. Private forecaster Skymet has also predicted a typical monsoon this year. Over 70% of India’s total rainfall falls during this southwest monsoon season.
