New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) The monsoon this year has covered the entire nation, 17 days ahead of its normal onset date, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.
According to IMD officials, Sriganganagar in west Rajasthan, which is the last outpost in the country for the monsoon to reach, has also received rainfall. The monsoon's usual date to reach Sriganganagar was July 15.
On May 29, monsoon had arrived in Kerala, three days ahead of its normal onset date of June 1. It battered the western coast in the first half of June.
According to IMD, due to good easterly winds, the country has received early monsoon showers, ahead of time. The four-month monsoon season normally begins from June 1 and ends on September 30.
On Thursday, Delhi received its monsoon showers, a day ahead of scheduled arrival with 20.4 mm rainfall that sent the mercury down a few notches below the average.
"Till July 3, there is going to be moderate rainfall in the NCR belt. However, from July 4 onwards, the density of monsoon clouds will weaken and be followed by a dry spell for few days," an IMD official said.
As per private weather forecasting agency Skymet, widespread rain and thundershowers across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand are expected.
"During the next 24 hours, moderate to heavy rains are expected over Konkan and Goa, coastal Karnataka, North Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and West Madhya Pradesh," Skymet said in a statement.
The agency also pointed that Delhi may also observe scattered light rains while light to moderate rains is likely in parts of east Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttarakhand, northeast India, West Bengal, coastal Odisha and Vidarbha.
The monsoon deficiency, which until early this week was 10 per cent, went down to six per cent.
The southwest monsoon gives 70 per cent of the rains to the country, where agriculture still remains a major contributor to the GDP.
