Monsoon arrives in Kerala

The southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala on Sunday, three days ahead of its normal onset date of June 1, the weather office said.

The southwest monsoon is considered the lifeline of India's agri-based economy.

"South-west monsoon has set in over Kerala on Sunday, May 29, against the normal date of onset of June 1," India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

Earlier, the IMD had forecast onset over Kerala on May 27 with help from remnants of Cyclone Asani that struck the Bay of Bengal a fortnight ago. The forecast had a model error of four days.

However, the influence of the remnant weather systems that lingered over the southern peninsula petered out.