Karnataka Drenched: May 2025 Becomes Wettest Month in 15 Years
Karnataka is experiencing an unprecedented surge in monsoon rainfall, marking the wettest May in over 15 years. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon has already covered 60% of the state, the most extensive early coverage in five decades of recorded weather history.
With six days still remaining in the month, Karnataka has recorded 139.3 mm of rainfall, a staggering 160% increase from the average 53.6 mm for May. The deluge across the coastal and Malnad regions is setting new weather records, with some areas witnessing 25 to 30 cm of rainfall in under 48 hours.
IMD Bengaluru’s regional director, N Puviyarasan, confirmed this as the earliest-ever widespread monsoon onset across the state. Unlike Kerala, Karnataka does not have a fixed monsoon onset date — only its spatial coverage is considered. But this year’s progression has clearly leapfrogged the norm, which typically sees such widespread rainfall between June 5–10.
GS Srinivasa Reddy, ex-director of KSNDMC, called this rainfall pattern “unmatched in recent memory,” emphasizing how May 2025 defies historical trends.
Backing this up, IMD data shows 232.8 mm of rainfall from March to May, compared to an expected 96.7 mm — a 141% surplus.
As monsoon clouds loom over the entire state, Karnataka braces for intensifying rainfall and continued climatic shifts in the days ahead.
Read also: