New Delhi, Wednesday 20 May 2009: The much-awaited south-west monsoon, the lifeline to over 200 million farmers of the country, today reached the Andaman Sea and could reached Kerala between May 23 and 25, a week ahead of its normal onset. ‘Southwest monsoon has set in some parts of south Bay of Bengal and entire Andaman Sea today,’ India Meteorological Department said.

It said conditions were favourable for further advance of the monsoon over some parts of south Arabian Sea and some more parts of south Bay of Bengal in the next two days. A senior official, associated with forecasting, said that there was a possibility of onset of the monsoon in Kerala between May 23 and May 25, nearly a week ahead of its normal onset date of June one.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been receiving fairly widespread rainfall for the past two days and scientists said there has been strengthening and deepening of southwesterly winds over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal during the period.