📅 May 09, 2026 | By Pulse India News Desk
India’s Southwest Monsoon is expected to reach parts of the Andaman Sea and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands around May 20, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), offering the first major signal of the 2026 monsoon season.
The advance into the Andaman region is considered a key milestone before the monsoon moves toward the Kerala coast and mainland India over the coming weeks.
But alongside the early onset outlook, the IMD has also indicated that this year’s monsoon rainfall could remain below normal.
Preliminary forecasts suggest India may receive nearly 92% of its Long Period Average (LPA) rainfall during the June–September monsoon season. While not officially classified as a drought year, lower-than-normal rainfall could raise concerns for agriculture, reservoir levels and rural demand.
Why It Matters
The Southwest Monsoon is critical to India’s economy, supporting nearly half of the country’s farmland that depends on rain-fed irrigation. The reservoir levels are critical for power generation and providing drinking water for Urban cities.
A weaker or uneven monsoon can affect:
- Kharif crop sowing
- Water storage levels
- Food prices and inflation
- Power generation demand
Weather experts say the timing of the onset alone is not enough — the distribution and intensity of rainfall across the season will be equally important.
What Meteorologists Are Watching
In the coming days, forecasters will closely monitor:
- Wind flow patterns over the Bay of Bengal
- Formation of low-pressure systems
- Sea surface temperatures
- Rainfall activity around the Andaman region
These factors will help determine how quickly the monsoon progresses toward Kerala.
India usually sees the monsoon arrive over Kerala around June 1, though the exact date can vary each year depending on atmospheric conditions.
Stay tuned to Pulse India News for the latest updates on the Southwest Monsoon, IMD forecasts, rainfall trends, agriculture impact and extreme weather alerts across India.
