Monsoon 2026: When will it start in Kerala? Here is the latest IMD forecast of arrival dates for Delhi, Other States | Today’s news
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday that the Southwest Monsoon is expected to reach Kerala on May 26 this year. The Meteorological Department noted that the onset date could differ by up to four days on either side.
The IMD has also predicted heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and strong winds over parts of Kerala and Mahé in the next five days.
Kerala weather
According to the department, these weather conditions are likely to be affected by cyclonic circulation over south coastal Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions, which could lead to the formation of a low pressure area over Kerala, south interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and southeast Arabian Sea adjacent to south Lakshadweep.
The IMD said the southwest monsoon has further advanced over most parts of the southeast Arabian Sea and parts of the Kanyakumari region.
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Monsoon has also advanced over most areas of southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of east-central Bay of Bengal, the IMD said.
As heavy rain continued in several parts of Kerala, the IMD issued an ‘orange alert’ for two districts and a yellow alert for 10 districts on Monday. An ‘orange alert’ has been issued for Kannur and Kasaragod, while a ‘yellow alert’ has been issued for all 10 districts except Thrissur and Palakkad, according to PTI, adding that on Tuesday, the meteorological department had issued a ‘yellow alert’ for nine districts across the state.
Read also | Monsoon will hit the Andamans around May 16; heat wave warning for northwest India
The IMD defines an “orange alert” as warning of very heavy rainfall ranging from 11 cm to 20 cm, while a yellow alert indicates heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.
Normal Monsoon Onset Dates
According to the IMD, the southwest monsoon normally reaches the Andaman and Nicobar Islands around 16-17. By May 26, it typically moves further into parts of the northeastern region, including Mizoram, Tripura and south Assam. Monsoon usually starts over mainland India through Lakshadweep on June 1. By June 5, it generally covers Karnataka, Goa, parts of Tamil Nadu and extends into Sikkim and northern West Bengal.
Around June 10, the monsoon typically reaches Maharashtra, including Mumbai, along with Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar.
Read also | Delhi temperature soars to 45C amid heatwave warning; check IMD 7 day forecast
By June 15, Southwest Monsoon generally advances to South Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and East Uttar Pradesh. It usually covers more parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan and reaches Uttarakhand, lower Himachal Pradesh and parts of Jammu and Kashmir around June 20.
Monsoon usually reaches Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and West Rajasthan by June 25.
It usually reaches higher parts of Himachal Pradesh, north Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh by June 30. Monsoon usually covers the remaining parts of northwest India, including the far western regions of Rajasthan and the Kutch region of Gujarat, by July 8.
Normal Monsoon Withdrawal Dates
According to the IMD, the southwest monsoon normally starts withdrawing from northwest India around September 17, starting over parts of western Rajasthan and Punjab.
By September 20, the recall will generally spread across Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh and other areas of Punjab and Rajasthan. Monsoon generally withdraws from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh around September 25.
Till September 30, the withdrawal usually covers most of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Around 5 October, the monsoon generally withdraws from the remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
By October 10, the withdrawal will generally extend over most of Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and interior parts of Andhra Pradesh. Around October 15, the monsoon normally withdraws from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the rest of the country.
