Monsoon Update: Southwest Monsoon to Reach Kerala Early This Year

After arriving early over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the south-west monsoon is racing towards the mainland, with the weather service forecasting an onset over Kerala by the middle of next week. "Conditions will remain favourable for further progress leading to the onset of Southwest Monsoon over Kerala towards the end of the week," said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, parts of Rajasthan are expected to experience severe heat today. The heatwave continued in most parts of the state on Thursday, with many places recording temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius, according to the meteorological department.

Barmer and Dholpur were the hottest places in the state, with temperatures reaching 47 degrees Celsius.

Heavy rains are expected in Kerala and coastal Karnataka today, according to the IMD's daily weather bulletin. According to the weather service, rain is expected in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and West Bengal today.

Weather Across States:

In Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim, heavy rainfall is expected.

Over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Coastal Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe, and Lakshadweep, widespread rains and thunderstorms are expected.

Rain/snow is expected to fall across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, with the possibility of hailstorms and thunderstorms.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to be widespread across Arunachal Pradesh and South Interior Karnataka.

Over Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and North Interior Karnataka, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected.

Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Maharashtra, West Rajasthan, East Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu are all expected to see isolated rains and thunderstorms.