Monsoon rains hit the coast of Kerala on Saturday, eight days earlier than usual, marking the earliest onset in 16 years
The monsoon is considered the ‘lifeblood’ of the Indian economy (now the fourth largest in the world). These seasonal rains deliver around 70 per cent of the rain that the country needs
The southwest monsoon arrived in Maharashtra on May 25, the earliest onset in the state in 35 years, the India Meteorological Department said
Heavy monsoon rains on Sunday caused widespread damage to electric lines and houses, flooded low-lying areas, and uprooted trees across Kerala, including one that crashed onto a moving train in Thrissur
The monsoon advanced into some more parts of the Arabian Sea, Karnataka, entire Goa, parts of Maharashtra, north Bay of Bengal, and parts of Mizoram, parts of Manipur, and Nagaland on Sunday, as per the IMD
In Kerala, IMD announced RED ALERT to Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Alappuzha on ORANGE ALERT
A low-pressure area is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal on May 27, bringing more rains to northeastern states, Odisha, and West Bengal, as per a Meteorological Centre official in Bhubaneswar
The IMD issued an alert for parts of Konkan and western Maharashtra for the next few days, warning of ‘extremely heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall