Iruvai monsoon begins earliest in five years

This year has marked the earliest onset of the Iruvai monsoon, also known as the northeast or sunny season, in the past five years.

Maldives Meteorological Service (MET) said that the northeast monsoon began on December 17, 2025, making it the earliest start of the season since 2020.

In contrast, last year saw an unusually late onset of the Iruvai monsoon. It began on January 2, 2025, which, according to meteorological records, was the latest start of the northeast monsoon recorded in Maldives.

MET determines the onset of the northeast monsoon when winds shift to an easterly direction, exceed 10 nautical miles per hour, and persist for two or more consecutive days.

The northeast monsoon generally lasts from January to March, while the southwest monsoon (Hulhangu) runs from May to the end of November. April and December are considered transitional months between the two monsoon seasons.

Although the Iruvai monsoon typically begins to affect the northern and central atolls during the second or third week of December, it usually spreads across the entire country in January.

According to the Maldives Nakaiy calendar, today marks the 10th day of the first Nakaiy of the Iruvai monsoon. However, MET noted that due to major global climate changes, the Nakaiy calendar increasingly does not align with actual weather patterns.

As a result, Hulhangu and Iruvai monsoon Nakaiy no longer coincide with the weather as consistently as they did in the past, with such discrepancies becoming more frequent in recent years.