Southwest monsoon to hit Maha by June 21: IMD

With the effect of cyclone 'Vayu' on the southern peninsula getting over, the delayed southwest monsoon is now expected to arrive in Maharashtra by June 21, the IMD predicted Monday.

The much-awaited monsoon is expected to reach southern Konkan and Goa by June 21, and is likely to cover the entire Maharashtra by June 24 or 25.

"While the monsoon is likely to cover the entire Maharashtra, good rains are expected over the parched regions like Marathwada and Vidarbha, which are currently reeling under water crisis," an India Meteorological Department official said in Pune.

He said though the monsoon got delayed due to 'Vayu', it's expected to move forward rapidly.

"The progress of the monsoon will be rapid after June 21. The monsoon is likely to cover 90 per cent of the country by July 4," he said.

The official said despite the delay, the monsoon is mostly expected to cover Karnataka, remaining parts of Tamil Nadu and Telangana, Odisha, and parts of the North East later this month.

"Though the effect of 'Vayu' is over, there will be widespread heavy rains over parts of Kutch and Saurashtra in Gujarat and East Rajasthan by tomorrow," he said.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Centre has predicted moderate showers in Mumbai and surrounding areas over the next two days, while south Konkan will receive higher intensity rain during the same period.

A met department official said the forecast for Marathwada region, which was that of a dry spell this week, was Monday changed to one with isolated showers in some pockets.

The Madhya Maharashtra region will also get showers in a few isolated places, and so will Vidarbha, though the rain will be of low intensity, the Met department said.