Though the monsoon season over Kerala will officially come to an end on Sunday, with the State receiving an enhanced rainfall during the northeast monsoon, the overall rain scenario in Kerala in 2023 was not a promising one. It was one of the recent driest years for the State in terms of annual rainfall. Kerala received a cumulative annual rainfall of 2,202.3 mm in 2023 (from January 1 to December 30) against the long period average of 2,889.9 mm, a drop of around 24%.
There was a drop of 28% in winter rain (from January 1 to February 28). During the pre-monsoon period as well (from March 1 to May 31), the State witnessed a shortage of 34% rainfall. Further, the four-month southwest monsoon season which roughly provides around 70% of the annual rainfall in Kerala played truant this year with the State recording the third largest southwest monsoon-deficient year in its recorded history of monsoon. The only relief was the northeast monsoon which, triggered by the weather systems over the Bay of Bengal, provided 27% surplus rains for the State.
