THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that the Southwest Monsoon has progressed further, with its onset expected in the next 3-4 days. If the monsoon sets in between May 23 and 27, it will be the earliest onset in the past 15 years. The last time it arrived this early was in 2009, when the onset was recorded on May 23.

The monsoon winds, which usually reach Sri Lanka by May 26, have already entered the Comorin region, suggesting an early arrival in Kerala. The IMD had declared the monsoon’s onset over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 13 — 10 days ahead of schedule. “The westerly wind pattern has set in along the Kerala coast in the Arabian Sea. The state is likely to receive monsoon rain by May 23 or 24,” said Rajeevan Erikkulam, a meteorologist with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority.

Even when monsoon rain starts, IMD follows a set of criteria before declaring the onset. It includes rainfall over 60% of 14 designated stations, the presence of westerly winds up to 600 hPa depth, and satellite data showing strong atmospheric convection via Outgoing Longwave Radiation.

Strong westerly and northwesterly winds are expected to persist over Kerala for the next seven days. The Met department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state between May 23 and 27.

IMD issues orange alert in four dists

Northern districts continue to experience heavy rain due to the influence of an upper air cyclonic circulation off the North Karnataka-Goa coasts.

The IMD has also predicted the formation of a low-pressure area by Thursday, which is expected to move northward and intensify into a depression within the next 36 hours.It stated that the rain will be more evenly distributed across the state from Friday.