Monsoon sweeps across country six days early

The southwest monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, six days earlier than usual. This is remarkable, given that monsoon reached the mainland after a delay of almost seven days, on June 8.

- SANJEEB MUKHERJE

Last year, too, the southwest monsoon covered the entire country by July 2, but the onset was on May 29. This year’s coverage, given that the monsoon arrived after a week’s delay, could be the quickest for the entire country.

According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD’s) data, in the past 24 years, the southwest monsoon covered the entire country on July 2 in only three years - 2000, 2022, and 2023, and on July 3 in 2001 and 2009.  The earliest the monsoon covered the entire country in the past 24 years was in 2013 - on June 16. This year, monsoon winds first got a push from cyclone Biparjoy, and then from the development of “low-pressure areas” over the north Bay of Bengal that pushed it across the mainland.