Breaking: Southwest Monsoon Hits Kerala Early; Shimla Sees a Mixed bag of Relief from Heatwaves and Havoc with Crop Damage...
Shimla/Delhi, 24 May 2025:
The much-awaited Southwest Monsoon has officially made landfall in Kerala today, May 24—a full week ahead of its usual June 1 onset, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed. This early arrival could set the tone for a dynamic monsoon season across the country.
As the monsoon pushed into Kerala, Mahe, Lakshadweep, parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and the Bay of Bengal region, sharp showers and sleet battered the high-altitude apple belt of Shimla, damaging apple, pear, and pea crops.
Locals and growers reported losses, hinting that the hills are already feeling the tremors of the changing weather cycle mainly in the Shimla apple belt.
The Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) now stretches through parts of the Arabian Sea, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bay of Bengal, Mizoram, and all the way up to 27°N/98°E in the Northeast—marking an impressive advance for this time of year.
What’s Next?
The IMD says conditions are ripe for the monsoon to move further into central Arabian Sea, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, more areas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, as well as Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and the rest of the Northeast over the next 2–3 days.
With the rains making an early dash and high-altitude crops already taking a hit, India's monsoon calendar is off to a dramatic and telling start.
