India's wait for the annual Southwest Monsoon is drawing closer to its end, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirming on Wednesday that the monsoon has made significant further progress.
The monsoon has advanced over parts of the Arabian Sea, the Lakshadweep area and multiple sectors of the Bay of Bengal, setting the stage for its imminent arrival over the Indian mainland.
According to an IMD bulletin issued on Wednesday, the Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of the southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, some parts of the Lakshadweep area, some more parts of the southwest, southeast and east-central Bay of Bengal, the remaining parts of the Andaman Sea and some parts of the west-central Bay of Bengal.
The weather department said conditions are favourable for the monsoon to advance further into some more parts of the southwest and southeast Arabian Sea, the Lakshadweep area, the southwest, east-central and west-central Bay of Bengal, the remaining parts of the southeast Bay of Bengal and some parts of the northeast Bay of Bengal during the next two to three days.
The advancement is broadly in line with the monsoon's expected trajectory. IMD had earlier forecast the onset of the Southwest Monsoon over Kerala — traditionally the gateway to the Indian mainland — and the latest progress over the Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep suggests that onset is now approaching.
Historically, the monsoon arrives over Kerala around June 1, though the date can vary by several days on either side.
The Southwest Monsoon is the lifeblood of the Indian subcontinent, delivering nearly 70% of the country's annual rainfall between June and September. It is critical not just for agriculture — which supports the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people — but also for replenishing reservoirs, groundwater levels and river systems across the country.
The advance comes as several parts of north, central and northwest India continue to reel under severe heatwave conditions, with IMD press releases from earlier this week warning of hea wave to severe heatwave conditions likely to persist over northwest and central India.
The monsoon's arrival cannot come soon enough for a parched and sweltering country.
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