The southwest monsoon, which waters more than half of India's farmland, has arrived over Kerala on June 8, Thursday, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
Southwest monsoon has also advanced into the remaining parts of the Arabian Sea, the Lakshadweep area, and parts of south Tamil Nadu including the Gulf of Mannar, the IMD statement read.
The rains, which typically hit the coast of Kerala by June 1, had been delayed for more than a week before making landfall in the state.
The IMD said that the conditions for the further advance of the monsoons are favourable, with the rains expected to reach parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the northeastern states in the next 48 hours.
The IMD had originally predicted a June 4 onset, but the development of cyclone Biporjoy, with strong areas of low pressure generating in the Arabian Sea, delayed the monsoon for a few more days.
The southwestern monsoon, which provides water to more than half of India's farmlands annually, was the most delayed in 2003, when the onset happened on June 13.
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