Finally, the southwest monsoon is at Kerala’s doorstep, delayed by over one week compared to the normal onset date of June 1. Though the delay has raised some anxious moments across the country, the data with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reveal that monsoon onset is not linked to the performance of the monsoon in the four-month season in the country, especially in Kerala, which acts as the gateway for monsoon to the Indian subcontinent.
In the last 121 years of the recorded history of the southwest monsoon, the earliest onset was in 1918 (May 11) and the most delayed onset was in 1972 (June 18). But in both years, the southwest monsoon was deficient in the State. Interestingly, 1918 witnessed the lowest ever rainfall in Kerala with only 110 cm during the season against the average of around 201 cm.
