Well, guess what folks, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has gone ahead and spilled the beans that the monsoon is ready to make its move, possibly hitting Mumbai in the next three days. And get this, if it shows up by May 28, it’s going to smash a record that’s been standing strong for almost 70 years. The southwest monsoon is not messing around this year, breezing into Goa and even reaching all the way up to Devgad in Maharashtra’s South Konkan a whole ten days earlier than expected. And hold onto your umbrellas, because it didn’t stop there – it made its grand entrance into Maharashtra just a day after greeting Kerala, a rare sight only witnessed in 1971 and 2012. Usually, it takes a good three days for the monsoon to make this journey, but this year, it’s on fast forward mode. This rapid progress is making history, paving the way for a potential new milestone in Mumbai.
What’s the latest scoop, you ask? Well, the IMD has given us the lowdown that within the next three days, the monsoon is planning to dive even deeper into Maharashtra, including the city that never sleeps, Mumbai, as well as making its presence known in Karnataka, including the buzzing metropolis of Bengaluru. This rain-bringing system is also eyeing some parts of Andhra Pradesh, the remaining areas of Tamil Nadu, more spots in West-central and North Bay of Bengal, and a little extra love for the Northeastern states. In Maharashtra, the regions along the Konkan coast, including Mumbai, have already been hit with some serious pre-monsoon showers over the past couple of days, giving us a taste of what’s to come.
So, why is this such a big deal, you might ask? Well, historically speaking, Mumbai’s earliest monsoon arrival was on May 29, seen in the years 1956, 1962, and 1971. We’ve also had some early birds showing up on May 31 in 1990 and 2006. This year’s early kickoff in Kerala on May 24 is the earliest since 2009, when the monsoon barged in on May 23. Typically, the southwest monsoon makes landfall in Kerala by June 1, struts its stuff in Maharashtra by June 7, and finally graces Mumbai with its presence around June 11. From there, it’s a country-wide tour until July 8, when it starts its retreat from northwest India, bidding us adieu by October 15. So, grab your raincoats and get ready for a wet and wild ride this monsoon season, folks. It’s going to be a record-breaking one, that’s for sure.