NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said the Southwest monsoon has advanced into parts of southeast Bay of Bengal, Nicobar Islands, south Andaman Sea and parts of north Andaman Sea.
The weather department has advised the fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Nicobar Islands during May14-15 and along and off Andaman Islands during May15-17.
Earlier, the MeT department has predicted normal southwest monsoon for this year.
"This year we are expecting normal distribution and quantity of rainfall across the country with 96 percent of the long period average with a model error of plus or minus five percent," D. S. Pai, Head of Climate Prediction, IMD, told ANI.
He further said that the IMD would forecast the monsoon arrival around mid of the next month.
K. J. Ramesh, chief of the MeT department said that the combination of a weak El Nino and positive Indian Ocean Dipole is expected to give a positive monsoon for India this year.
Ramesh also said that the rainfall this year would be favourable for the farmers.
The IMD has said there is 38 percent of a rain being near normal.
The IMD said that they expected 96 percent rainfall in the oncoming monsoon season with a margin of five percent.