The Southwest Monsoon has slowed significantly over western India after making an encouraging start earlier this month.

The monsoon reached Kerala on June 4 and advanced up to South Konkan, Goa and parts of South Madhya Maharashtra by June 8. However, it has remained almost stationary along the West Coast since then.

While the eastern branch progressed into parts of Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar on June 15, central and western regions are lagging behind their normal schedule.

The main reason is the absence of any low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, which usually helps strengthen monsoon winds and push the rain belt further north.

Weather models suggest no such system is likely over the next week. As a result, Mumbai, Konkan and Goa may have to wait another 7–8 days for widespread monsoon rains, with only scattered showers expected in the meantime.