The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday confirmed the early arrival of the southwest monsoon in Maharashtra, bringing welcome rainfall to several parts of the state, with further advancement expected into Mumbai and surrounding areas within the next 72 hours.
The monsoon has now spread over additional areas of the Arabian Sea, Karnataka, entire Goa, and parts of Maharashtra, along with north Bay of Bengal, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland, the IMD stated. The northern limit of the monsoon currently stretches across Devgad, Belagavi, Haveri, Mandya, Dharmapuri, Chennai, Aizawl, and Kohima.
According to the IMD’s forecast, favorable atmospheric conditions will likely push the monsoon further into central parts of the Arabian Sea, more regions of Maharashtra—including Mumbai—as well as deeper into Karnataka (including Bengaluru), Andhra Pradesh, remaining portions of Tamil Nadu, and the Northeastern states over the next few days.
The Konkan coast and Mumbai metropolitan region have already been experiencing intense pre-monsoon showers, a common indicator of the season’s impending onset.
Notably, the monsoon’s arrival this year has been earlier than usual. It hit Kerala on Saturday, marking one of the earliest landfalls over the Indian subcontinent since 2009, when it reached the state on May 23. Typically, the monsoon reaches Kerala by June 1 and Maharashtra by June 7, with Mumbai receiving rains around June 11.
The early onset has raised hopes for timely sowing in the agricultural sector and improved water levels in reservoirs, though weather experts urge close monitoring to assess consistency and distribution in the coming weeks.
The IMD also emphasized the retreat cycle of the monsoon, which usually begins from northwest India by September 17 and completes its withdrawal across the country by October 15.
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