Southwest Monsoon Hits Kerala Coast

Thiruvananthapuram: Bringing much-needed respite from an intense summer heatwave across the country, the Southwest Monsoon officially set in over the Kerala coast today, Thursday, June 4, 2026. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that all necessary atmospheric and oceanic conditions have been met, marking the formal commencement of India’s four-month-long annual rainy season.

According to the weather bureau, a steady strengthening of westerly winds, an increase in cloudiness, and continuous rainfall recorded across designated monitoring stations in Kerala over the last 24 hours signaled the monsoon’s arrival, which is about three days behind its conventional June 1 schedule.

The monsoon made its formal arrival today after satisfying the IMD’s rigid criteria for onset, which requires 60% of the 14 regulated weather stations across Kerala and Lakshadweep to record 2.5 mm or more of rain for two consecutive days.

“The atmospheric conditions have finally aligned perfectly,” a senior IMD scientist stated. “We have observed a deep layer of westerly winds stretching across the southeast Arabian Sea, accompanied by persistent outgoing longwave radiation values below the required thresholds, indicating heavy, active cloud formations moving smoothly onto the mainland.”

Heavy downpours accompanied by gusty winds have already lashed several southern and central districts of Kerala, including Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam, since early this morning.