India, June 21 -- Reasons for delay: Weak El Nino conditions, very severe Cyclone Vayu

After a long delay and slow pace of progress, the south west monsoon's (SWM) advance hastened a bit, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on June 20. The rains have already reached parts of Maharashtra, Goa and West Bengal while covering greater areas of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the weather agency said.

IMD forecast that the SWM will further move into Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha by the first half of the week starting June 20 and into Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh by the second half.

Monsoon showers will come as some respite to a country reeling under the double whammy of deficit rainfa...