Photos: Southwest monsoon keeps its date with Kerala

Dark clouds hovering on the sky, in Kochi. The southwest monsoon hit Kerala on Monday on its normal onset date, marking the commencement of the four-month-long rainfall season, the India Meteorological Department said.

People crossing a road during heavy rain, in Kochi on Tuesday. "The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala," IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra declared as widespread rainfall occurred in the southern state during the past two days.

A woman holding an umbrella crossing a street during heavy rain, in Thiruvananthapuram. India receives 75% of its rainfall from the southwest monsoon during June to September. It is not only crucial for farming in the country, but also for replenishing the reservoirs, and more importantly to the economy which is still largely dependent on agriculture.

Vehicular movement seen on a road during rain, in Kochi on Tuesday. Mohapatra said more than 70% of the 14 rainfall monitoring stations for monsoon onset over Kerala have reported rainfall during last 48 hours.

Vehicles wade through a waterlogged street during heavy rain, in Thiruvananthapuram. The state Met department has also issued heavy rainfall warnings for the state. "Thunderstorm with lightning and wind speed reaching 40 kmph in gusts accompanied by moderate rainfall is very likely to occur at in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kasaragod and Kannur," it stated.

Fisherfolk row their traditional boats as they set out to fish on a cloudy morning in Kochi. "Westerly winds have strengthened in the lower levels (wind speed upto 20 knots) and deepened up to 4.5 kilometres over the south Arabian Sea and there is persistent convection (cloudiness indicated by Outgoing Longwave Radiation values and 200 Wm-2) from satellite imagery and coastal Doppler Weather Radars from May 27 onwards," he said. "As the conditions have been met, we have declared arrival of monsoon over Kerala," Mohapatra added.

A woman holds an umbrella while a man rides a Scooty during rain, in Kochi.

A fisherman rows his boat as youth pedal their bicycles on a cloudy morning in Kochi.

A man rides a scooty during rainfall, in Thiruvananthapuram.

Dark clouds covering the sky loom over Kochi Back waters.

Beachgoers stand on a seaside promenade as clouds gathered over Arabian Sea in Kochi.

A fisherman sets out to fish as rain clouds hover above in Kochi.