Monsoon May Cover Entire Country In June Itself
The normal date of monsoon onset over mainland Kerala is 1st June. The monsoon current is typically expected to reach the last posts of Rajasthan by 8th July.
This means the monsoon usually covers the entire country in about 38 days. However, the monsoon never maintains a uniform pace throughout its journey and experiences several bouts of acceleration and deceleration. Despite a long pause of about 20 days between 26th May and 15th June 2025, the monsoon is set to cover the entire country within the stipulated timeline. A highlight of this season is that the entire country will be covered within the month of June itself.
Against the normal duration of 38 days, the monsoon has taken half the time—or even less—on a few past occasions. In 2013, the onset date over Kerala was 1st June, and the entire country was covered by 16th June, the shortest span of just 15 days in monsoon history. However, this swift advance tragically coincided with the Uttarakhand disaster on 16th June 2013, when the monsoon had covered nearly 40% of the country in a single day.
In 1941, the monsoon commenced early on 23rd May and covered the entire country by 11th June, taking just 19 days. In 1961, the onset phase lasted 30 days, starting on 21st May and concluding on 21st June.
The pattern of monsoon advancement was quite unsettled during the final phase of onset this season. Strangely enough, the national capital was left out, along with a small portion of Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, and a narrow strip of Rajasthan. The uncertainty over Delhi’s onset was significant enough to shift the timelines repeatedly. From an earlier assessment of an early arrival, the forecast has now shifted beyond the due date. The expected onset on 29th June is unlikely to be emphatic, and the capital city may have to settle for a mild and soft landing of Monsoon 2025.
Conditions are now becoming favorable for the monsoon current to cover the remaining parts of the country in one go. Multiple factors are aligning to complete this phase: a western disturbance over the northern plains, a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan, and the oscillation and northward shift of the east-west trough over northern plains. These combined forces are expected to complete the monsoon onset ahead of time—and most significantly, within the month of June itself.
