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Southwest monsoon arrives in parts of Bay of Bengal
16 May 2026

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced an early onset of the Southwest monsoon this year.

The monsoon arrived over parts of the southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, the Nicobar Islands, and the Southeast Arabian Sea on Saturday, May 16.

This year's monsoon onset is at least six days earlier than normal for these regions.

Onset date for these regions was May 13 last year
Weather update

The IMD has confirmed that the southwest monsoon has advanced into parts of the Southeast Arabian Sea and the Southwest and Southeast Bay of Bengal.

It has also reached many parts of the Andaman Sea, all of the Nicobar Islands, and some areas in the Andaman Islands, including Sri Vijaya Puram.

The onset date for these regions in 2025 was earlier, on May 13.

Key criteria met for declaring monsoon onset
Weather conditions

The IMD has observed increased rainfall activity over the last two days in the Nicobar Islands, the Andaman Sea, and neighboring areas.

The strengthening of westerly winds and desired Outgoing Longwave Radiation values have met key criteria for declaring the monsoon onset.

These observations indicate a convective cloud mass, which is essential to declare the onset of the monsoon.

More areas to witness monsoon advancement in coming days
Future forecast

The IMD has predicted that conditions are favorable for further advancement of the southwest monsoon. This includes more parts of the Southeast Arabian Sea, the Southwest and Southeast Bay of Bengal, the remaining parts of the Andaman Islands, and the Andaman Sea.

The monsoon is expected to reach some parts of the East-Central Bay of Bengal in the next few days.

The IMD has predicted that the monsoon is likely to set in over Kerala by May 26.