Anger and noise

• The southwest monsoon arrived in Kerala a week before its scheduled arrival on June 1.

• Meteorologists had warned about the early arrival over the Andaman Sea in the first week of May.

• The monsoon surged due to a pre-cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea, causing several parts of Maharashtra and the Konkan coast to reach their shores earlier than anticipated.

• Mumbai, which usually welcomes the monsoon around June 10, saw a May onset for the first time in 35 years.

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had previously forecasted ‘above normal’ monsoon rainfall, 5% more than the historical average of 87 cm.

• The IMD only counts rainfall from June 1 to September 30 as’monsoon rainfall’, excluding ‘pre-monsoon’ rainfall.

• The IMD anticipates June to receive ‘above normal’ rains, which could benefit kharif sowing and improve grain stocks and export reserves.

• With urbanization, excess rains are not always beneficial, with floods now affecting tier-2 and tier-3 towns.

• Governments need to incorporate climate change warnings into their forecasts to improve everyday living.