RAS question
The Indian monsoon typically arrives at the Kerala coast around:
Correct answer: (B) June 1 (with ±7 days variation).
The southwest monsoon normally sets in over the Kerala coast around 1 June, with a variation of about seven days.
Explanation
The Indian Meteorological Department treats the monsoon onset over Kerala as the marker of the southwest monsoon's advance onto the Indian mainland. Its press release states that the southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on 1 June, with a standard deviation of about seven days. That is why the best answer is not a single rigid calendar date but 1 June with a reasonable variation window. After Kerala, the monsoon advances northward: its usual arrival is at Mumbai by 10 June, Delhi by 25-30 June, and all-India coverage by 15 July, followed by withdrawal from north-west India around 1 September.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) May 1 is too early because the normal Kerala onset is around 1 June, not the beginning of May.
- (C) April 15 is much too early for the southwest monsoon's normal arrival on the Kerala coast.
- (D) July 1 is too late because the monsoon has normally already reached Kerala around 1 June and is advancing further north by then.
Concept
This tests the seasonal advance of the southwest monsoon, especially the Kerala onset date used as the starting marker for India's monsoon calendar. RAS repeats this because monsoon timing connects Indian climatology with agriculture, rainfall distribution and regional geography.