The southwest monsoon entered Maharashtra on Friday, maintaining its normal schedule for the state despite arriving late from Kerala earlier this week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The monsoon arrived in Kerala on June 4, three days after its normal start date of June 1, and almost a week later than the previous IMD forecast of May 26. However, it advanced rapidly thereafter, covering large parts of the western coast as far as Goa by 5 June before advancing into Maharashtra on 6 June.
In its latest update, the IMD said the southwest monsoon has advanced to additional parts of the west-central and east-central Arabian Sea, Karnataka, the entire Goa region, parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, most parts of Tamil Nadu, and the southwest Bay of Bengal. It has also extended to more areas in the mid-west, north-east and north-west Bay of Bengal, along with parts of Mizoram and Manipur.
According to the IMD, the northern limit of the monsoon currently passes through Devgad in Konkan, Koppal in Karnataka, Anantapuram in Andhra Pradesh, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
The Meteorological Department expects conditions to be favorable for more monsoon in the next two-three days. It is expected to cover more parts of the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, along with parts of Telangana and the remaining areas of Tamil Nadu, and additional areas over the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and northeastern India.
The timely arrival of monsoon in Maharashtra is expected to bring widespread rainfall in several parts of the state, providing respite from the summer heat and boosting the upcoming agricultural season.
