New Delhi: The southwest monsoon further advanced into peninsular and central India, and parts of the west and northwest on June 25, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The monsoon hit the cities of Delhi and Mumbai on the same day – something that has not happened in six decades, per news reports. Monsoon advances furtherThe southwest monsoon has finally advanced further into peninsular and central India, and parts of the west and northwest on June 25, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).“The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of the Central Arabian Sea, some parts of north Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, some parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana, remaining parts of Uttarakhand and most parts of Himachal Pradesh and some more parts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh…”, the IMD said in a statement on Sunday, June 25.Conditions are also “favourable” for the further advancement of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the remaining parts of Jammu and Kashmir during the next two days, the statement read.This year, the southwest monsoon set in over parts of northwest India ahead of schedule. However, the monsoon was delayed over large parts of central and west India. Many states here, including Maharashtra and Karnataka have been experiencing a rain deficit of more than 80%.Indian Express reported that as per senior IMD officials, the delay in the monsoon over some areas was due to the impact of cyclone Biparjoy. Climate scientist Roxy Koll Mathew of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology had told The Wire that the arrival and progress of Biparjoy, the monsoon rainfall deficit and heat waves were all linked. He said that the cyclone has taken away a lot of moisture that should have gone into monsoon rains in south, central and east India. Rainfall – and heavy to very heavy rainfall – will occur over many parts of the country as the monsoon advances. There will be “active monsoon conditions” over east-central, northwest and west India for the next four or five days, the IMD predicted in its statement on June 25. The IMD has also predicted several impacts in the areas due to the rainfall, including localized flooding and landslides as well as damage to horticulture and standing crops. They have also suggested potential actions that can be taken for these. The IMD issued an orange rain alert for Delhi for Monday and a yellow alert for Tuesday and Wednesday, reported BT. Sixty years afterThe monsoon hit the cities of Delhi and Mumbai on the same day, June 25.While it was two days early in Delhi, it was two weeks late in Mumbai. The normal onset of the monsoon in Delhi is June 27; in Mumbai, it is June 11, reported BT. Mumbai witnessed a late monsoon arrival in 2019 – also on June 25 – reported Times of India. The last time that the monsoon hit both the cities on the same day was on June 21, 1961, IE reported. The coastal regions of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next two days, the IMD has predicted.