New Delhi: The monsoon is progressing in its normal course and is likely to hit Maharashtra in the next two days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday. The weather office also warned of isolated extremely heavy rainfall (more than 204.5 mm) in Arunachal Pradesh on June 10-11, and Assam and Meghalaya over the next five days, news agency PTI reported.
According to senior IMD scientist RK Jenamani, monsoon touched the Kerala coast on May 29 and has covered south and central Arabian Sea, Kerala, parts of southern states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu apart from the entire northeast between May 31 and June 7.
"There is no delay in the progress of the monsoon. It is likely to reach Maharashtra in the next two days and cover Mumbai in the subsequent two days," Jenamani said, dismissing reports that its monsoon progress has slowed down.
"We have strong monsoon features -- there are strong winds and clouds have started developing -- for the next two days," he further added.
He further said that there are favourable conditions for progress of monsoon over Goa and some other parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu over the next two days.
Notably, IMD had last month said that the southwest monsoon will be normal and quantitatively will be 103% of the 50-year average of 87cm rainfall received in the entire season.
This will be the seventh consecutive year when India would receive normal rainfall in the period between June and September.
The weather scientist said extremely heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya over the next few days.
Speaking on whether the monsoon will reach Delhi-NCR and other parts of northwest India around the usual time, he said it was too early to say anything.