{"id":74048,"date":"2026-05-18T18:42:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=74048"},"modified":"2026-05-18T18:44:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:14:06","slug":"southwest-monsoon-onset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-05-2026\/southwest-monsoon-onset","title":{"rendered":"Early Onset of Southwest Monsoon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Geography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the <strong>India Meteorological Department (IMD)<\/strong> announced that the <strong>Southwest Monsoon<\/strong> is expected to reach Kerala<strong> earlier than the normal onset<\/strong> date of June 1.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Monsoon in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The term \u2018monsoon\u2019 refers to the seasonal reversal of winds caused by differential heating and cooling of land and sea.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India, monsoon rainfall is the backbone of the economy and climate system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India experiences two major monsoon systems:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Southwest Monsoon (June\u2013September)<\/strong>: Main rainy season contributing nearly 75% of annual rainfall.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Northeast Monsoon (October\u2013December)<\/strong>: Important mainly for Tamil Nadu and southeast India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Southwest Monsoon is critical for agriculture, reservoirs, hydropower generation, and rural livelihoods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f5f5f6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"446\" height=\"483\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-131.png\" alt=\"monsoon in india\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-74049\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f5f5f6; aspect-ratio:0.9234184239733629;width:412px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-131.png 446w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-131-277x300.png 277w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 446px) 100vw, 446px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Formation of the Southwest Monsoon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Differential Heating: <\/strong>The Indian landmass heats faster than surrounding oceans, creating a low-pressure area over northwest India during summer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shift of ITCZ: <\/strong>The <strong>Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)<\/strong> shifts northward, attracting moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cross-Equatorial Winds: <\/strong>Southeast trade winds cross the Equator and get deflected due to the Coriolis force, becoming southwesterly winds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Role of Jet Streams and Tibetan Plateau: <\/strong>The heating of the Tibetan Plateau and changes in subtropical jet streams strengthen monsoon circulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0edee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0edee;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"389\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-132.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-74050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-132.png 389w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-132-300x206.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Branches of the Southwest Monsoon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Arabian Sea Branch: <\/strong>It strikes the Western Ghats first, and causes heavy rainfall along the west coast. It advances towards central and northern India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bay of Bengal Branch: <\/strong>It moves towards northeast India and the Indo-Gangetic plains. It is deflected by the Himalayas westward across northern India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>El Ni\u00f1o and Its Impact on Indian Monsoon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>El Ni\u00f1o refers to the abnormal warming of sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It weakens monsoon circulation and often leads to below-normal rainfall in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to <strong>NOAA,<\/strong> 82% chance of El Ni\u00f1o developing during May\u2013July.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>IMD <\/strong>predicted seasonal rainfall at 92% of the Long Period Average (LPA), indicating below-normal rainfall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>strong or \u2018super\u2019 El Ni\u00f1o<\/strong> could reduce agricultural productivity, trigger drought-like conditions, affect groundwater and reservoirs, and increase food inflation and rural distress.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Regions like the Indo-Gangetic Plain are particularly vulnerable due to long-term drying trends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of the Indian Monsoon<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agricultural Significance: <\/strong>Nearly 60% of Indian farmers depend on rainfall for sowing and irrigation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Importance: <\/strong>Monsoon influences GDP growth, food production, rural demand, and inflation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water Security: <\/strong>It replenishes rivers, groundwater, and reservoirs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ecological Importance: <\/strong>Supports forests, biodiversity, and hydrological balance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/climate-change\/southwest-monsoon-has-arrived-in-andaman-and-nicobar-to-hit-kerala-on-may-26-imd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: DTE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Recently, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that the Southwest Monsoon is expected to reach Kerala earlier than the normal onset date of June 1. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Monsoon in India <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The term \u2018monsoon\u2019 refers to the seasonal reversal of winds caused by differential heating and cooling of land and sea. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> In India, monsoon rainfall is the backbone of the economy and climate system. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/uncategorized\/18-05-2026\/southwest-monsoon-onset \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74048"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74054,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74048\/revisions\/74054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}