Monsoon rains arrive in Kerala: IMD officials

Annual monsoon rains have arrived at Kerala coast in southern India on Friday, five days later than expected, officials at the weather office said.

On June 2, India Meterological Department (IMD) scaled down this year's June to September monsoon rainfall forecast citing an El Nino weather pattern, raising fears of the first drought in six years.

El Nino, an event marked by warmer surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, increases the chance of droughts in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, Southeast Asia and India.

(Reuters)