Bhopal: The southwest monsoon has reached bordering state Maharashtra, but MP would have to wait for the monsoon clouds to cover the entire state. Meanwhile, parts of the state have already started witnessing pre-monsoon activities.

Monsoon was expected in MP in the second week of June this year. The reason for the monsoon to hit close to its yearly time and not early was that the Bay of Bengal branch of the monsoon was not strong. The meteorological dept informed that currently the Arabian Sea branch was stronger compared to Bay of Bengal branch and MP would have to wait for at least two weeks for the monsoon. The good news was that the monsoon was likely to be above normal this time.

However, monsoon could take a long break in the middle around July this year. Heating leads to activation of local systems and strong pre-monsoon showers. Heating was comparatively less this time.

Monsoon period in the state is slated to last from June 1 to Sept 30. The onset of monsoon in MP will be between June 13 and June 16 while the official onset date of monsoon in Bhopal is 17 June. Monsoon was expected to hit close to its routine date.

July and Aug are typically the months when MP receives a significant amount of rain, and rainfall activity decreases in Sept, which is considered the tail-end.The overall seasonal rainfall in the state is generally measured from June 1 to Sept 30. As per the Met department, 990 mm rainfall is considered normal for MP and 1090 mm of rainfall is considered normal for Bhopal.