Monsoon arrives in Maharashtra; conditions favourable for advancement

The southwest monsoon arrived in Maharashtra on Saturday, bringing showers in some coastal parts of the state, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

The progress of the monsoon is as per our expectations, said Shubhangi Bhute, director of the IMD's regional centre.

"The southwest monsoon has arrived in Maharashtra. It has officially reached up to Harnai port in coastal Ratnagiri district and its actual line is spread till Solapur and some parts of Marathwada, followed by some parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh," she said.

It is expected to bring showers to these regions, she added.

"Conditions are favourable for further advancement of the monsoon," she said.

A few days back, the IMD had predicted that monsoon is likely to be normal in north and south India, above-normal in central India and below-normal in east and northeast India.

Quantitatively, the monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be 101 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of plus or minus four per cent, it had said.