NEW DELHI: Southwest Monsoon hit Kerala today marking the start of the rainy season, four days after its normal onset date.
"Southwest Monsoon has set in over Kerala, today, June 5, 2015as against the normal date of June 1," the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
"It has further advanced into entire south Arabian Sea, some more parts of Central Arabian Sea, entire Lakshadweep area and Kerela, some parts of coastal and southern interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, remanining parts of southeast Bay of Bengal and some parts of central and northeast Bay of Bengal," it said.
The IMD added that conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, some more parts of Rayalseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh, and northeast India in next 48 hours.
The MET department had initially predicted that this year the rainy season would make its fall on May 30 with "below normal" Monsoon, but later downgraded its forecast to "deficient" rainfall.