Latest indication of climate change along the Southwest Coast of India

In October 2021, an unusual deviation in the trajectory of a low-pressure system occurred in the Arabian Sea. Typically, low-pressure systems originating in this region follow a northward or northwestward path. However, unexpectedly, a low-pressure system that formed off the Mumbai coast on October 10, 2021, took a southeastward course over the following seven days, ultimately making landfall on the southwest coast of Kerala on October 16, 2021. This exceptional deviation from the usual wind pattern, where most storms in the Arabian Sea follows a west-northwesterly direction toward the Arabian coast or move northward had significant environmental consequences. This atypical shift in the system’s pathway has resulted in severe casualties due to unforeseen heavy rainfall events and subsequent flooding in Kerala. The observed alterations in oceanic and atmospheric warming patterns produce more frequent and intense tropical cyclones in the southeastern Arabian Sea. The trajectory of this low-pressure system serves as a clear indication of the ongoing climate change impacts in the region.