The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) recently issued the 2025 monsoon map and announced the onset of the Southwest Monsoon over some areas of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea at least a week before its scheduled arrival time. This year’s monsoon onset over these regions is the earliest recorded in the past seven years. As per IMD’s monsoon onset schedule, the normal date for the monsoon onset over the South Andaman Sea and Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is May 21. Furthermore, IMD has also predicted that the monsoon may reach Kerala on 27 May. Usually, monsoon reaches Kerala on 1 June. Due to the early arrival of monsoon in Kerala, it is expected to arrive early in many states of India as well.
Punjab Monsoon 2025 Update
The monsoon onset map for 2025, released by the IMD, shows the advance of the Southwest Monsoon across the country.
The map depicts that the northern limit of the Southwest Monsoon (SWM) has not yet reached Punjab. It is currently restricted to parts of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, as indicated by the blue line (actual onset).
When will the monsoon arrive in Punjab?
According to the normal onset dates shown by red lines, the monsoon is typically expected to reach Punjab between 30 June and 5 July. The map further showcases that monsoon may hit Southern Punjab first. It means areas around Bathinda or Ferozepur may be hit by monsoon by June 30.
Thereafter, central to northern Punjab, including cities like Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Jalandhar, may start to experience monsoon around 5 July.
Monsoon Map decoded
The red lines shown in the IMD map outline the normal dates of monsoon arrival based on historical data. The Blue Line is actual date of onset so far (only in the southeast Bay of Bengal and parts of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands). The Green Line showcases the northern limit of the Southwest Monsoon as of 14 May 2025. The curved lines in the map indicate the typical progression path and timeline of the monsoon over the Indian subcontinent. See IMD Map below-
(Picture Source: IMD)
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD, was quoted by the Indian Express, who said, "All these factors support the early monsoon onset over Kerala. The prevailing wind conditions indicate strengthening of monsoon winds. Both the Indian weather model and multiple other global weather models are in consensus, and suggest a heightened rainfall activity over Kerala before June 1, which is the normal onset date."
For the unversed, IMD declares the monsoon onset over India when it hits Kerala. The normal onset date of the Monsoon is June 1. Through June and mid-July, the monsoon brings continuous rainfall before covering the entire country by around July 15. This year, the monsoon onset over Kerala is expected to be early by 5 days and would be around May 27.