Monsoon has covered entire country, says IMD

Southwest monsoon has covered the entire country as it brought seasonal rains to Gujarat and Rajasthan, the India Meteorological Department said on Saturday.

"Southwest monsoon has covered the entire country on Saturday, six days before the normal date of July 8," the weather office said.

The southwest monsoon had its onset over Kerala on May 29, three days ahead of the normal date of June 1.

However, the progress of southwest monsoon, crucial to the farm-based economy, has been sluggish with the country reporting rainfall deficit of eight per cent.

Weather scientists expect the monsoon to pick up pace in the coming months and have predicted well distributed rainfall in July.