Kerala Records All-Time High Rainfall in Pre-Monsoon Season
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has experienced a record-breaking amount of rain during the March, April, and May months, including the recent days of intense monsoon downpour. According to statistics from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), by the end of the summer monsoon calendar, Kerala received 116% excess rainfall.
As per the summer rainfall calendar, the state should normally receive 359 mm of rain between March 1 and May 31. However, this time, a staggering 776 mm of rain poured down. May alone recorded an unprecedented amount of rainfall, with 584 mm, marking the highest May rainfall since 2004, which saw 615 mm.
Kannur district leads the charts in pre-monsoon rainfall, receiving 1,071.2 mm against a normal of only 258.3 mm for the period. This represents a remarkable 315% increase in rainfall for the district this season. Kannur surpassed Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, which usually receive the most summer rain.
The early arrival of the monsoon on the Kerala coast this year, along with changes in its nature, are attributed to these heightened figures. The monsoon arrived in Kerala on May 24, eight days earlier than its usual schedule. The intensification of the monsoon was further fueled by cyclonic circulations that transformed into low-pressure areas in the Arabian Sea on May 22 and in the Bay of Bengal on May 27, coupled with strong westerly winds.