The monsoon rains have arrived on the coast of Kerala, India, on May 24, 2025, marking the earliest arrival in 16 years. This offers respite from a severe heatwave and boosts prospects for good harvests. Typically, the monsoon begins lashing Kerala around June 1st and spreads across the country by mid-July, which allows farmers to plant crops such as rice, corn, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala is the earliest since May 23, 2009. The monsoon is the lifeblood of India's $4 trillion economy, delivering nearly 70% of the rain needed to water farms and replenish aquifers and reservoirs. Nearly half of India's farmland lacks irrigation and depends on the annual rains from June to September to grow crops.
