Nagpur: The southwest monsoon arrived over Vidarbha on Wednesday, 18 days ahead of its normal date, in line with this year's rapid shift in weather patterns, shattering decades-old records.

Historically, the monsoon typically sets in over Vidarbha around June 15. However, exceptional early onsets were recorded in 1956 and 1971, and more recently in 2018. According to the IMD, the monsoon has progressed further into Maharashtra, and its northern limit has advanced into the southernmost part of Gadchiroli. "The normal date for the advancement of the southwest monsoon over Vidarbha is June 15," the IMD bulletin stated.It also stated that conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon over the remaining parts of the northeastern states, and some parts of West Bengal and Sikkim during the next two days. However, it didn't mention any duration for monsoon progress in the rest of Vidarbha, including Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Wardha etc.IMD scientist Dr Rizwan Ahmed told TOI that, as per an archived Mausam Journal research paper, the earliest documented monsoon onset over Vidarbha occurred on June 1 in the years 1956 and 1971, advancing nine days ahead of the climatological normal.

"These years stand out as rare anomalies in the region's monsoonal history, reflecting significant shifts in atmospheric circulation and moisture transport patterns.

Such early onsets are of particular interest in climate studies, as they influence regional temperature regimes, agricultural planning, and the frequency of pre-monsoon heatwaves," said Dr Ahmed, who is posted at the Regional Meteorological Centre at Sonegaon in Nagpur.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon has shown a consistent trend of earlier onset over the Andaman Sea in recent years, likely influenced by inter-seasonal variability and ocean-atmosphere interactions. The monsoon reached the Andaman region on May 21 in 2020, May 18 in 2021, May 16 in 2022, May 19 in 2023, and as early as May 13 in 2025, indicating a progressive advancement in arrival dates."In the Vidarbha region, the normal onset of the southwest monsoon occurs around June 15, in line with the northward progression of the Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM).

In the past five years, the onset over Vidarbha was recorded as: June 12 (2020), June 14 (2021), June 12 (2022), June 8 (2023), and June 12 (2024)," Dr Ahmed said.The IMD scientist said, "In 2025, the southwest monsoon entered Vidarbha through its extreme southern parts on May 28, marking the earliest onset over the region in the past five years. This early entry may reflect broader shifts in monsoonal patterns and underlying climatic dynamics."