Monsoon rains to arrive on southern Kerala coast on May 30: IMD

Monsoon rains are expected to arrive on the southern Kerala coast on May 30, two days ahead of schedule, a weather office source said on Tuesday.

India looks likely to receive higher monsoon rainfall than previously forecast as concern over the El Nino weather condition has eased, KJ Ramesh, director general of the state-run India Meteorological Department, told Reuters last week.

Also read: Monsoon rains reach Andaman islands early: IMD

Andaman and Nicobar, off India's eastern coast, are usually the first areas to receive the monsoon rains, typically around May 20.

Also read: India facing higher monsoon rains than forecast: IMD

The monsoon season, which typically runs for about four months, delivers about 70 per cent of the country's annual rainfall and is critical for growing crops such as rice, cane, corn, cotton and soybeans. As such, they can have a big impact on economic growth and food price inflation.