The southwest monsoon is expected to enter Mumbai within the next 48 hours, the IMD said, while issuing rain and thunderstorm warnings for several parts of Maharashtra and advising fishermen to stay off the sea.
The IMD has said weak moisture flow and the absence of major weather systems have delayed the southwest monsoon's advance across Maharashtra, with only isolated rainfall expected in the coming days.
In view of the El Nino phenomenon, Chouhan stressed the need for advance contingency planning in rain-deficient districts, while also pushing for increased acreage under cotton and pulses.
With the Southwest Monsoon setting its foot forward in the state, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has issued guidelines for emergency arrangements during the upcoming rainy season.
Last year, the Southwest Monsoon had arrived over the Kerala coast on May 30, while in 2023 it set in over on June 8.
If the monsoon hits on the predicted date, it will be a day before the earlier prediction of the weather department to onset on May 27.
The southwest monsoon is likely to set in over Kerala on May 27, earlier than the usual onset date of June 1, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the low-pressure area over the north Andaman Sea and adjoining areas of the south Andaman Sea and Southeast Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestward and concentrated into a depression in the morning at 08:30 am on Saturday.
This comes a day later than the earlier announcement last week of the Southwest Monsoon reaching the South Andaman Sea on May 15.
On the same date, the northeast monsoon is likely to commence over southeast peninsular India which brings in rains mostly to Tamil Nadu, parts of Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.
