India, July 8 -- The southwest monsoon has become active across most parts of India, bringing widespread rainfall, thunderstorms and gusty winds that have disrupted normal life in several states. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red, orange and yellow alerts for different regions, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next few days as a low-pressure system and an active monsoon trough continue to influence weather conditions.

According to the IMD, the northern limit of the monsoon has advanced further and now extends across Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. The weather agency expects the monsoon to cover the remaining parts of the country within the next two to three days, marking its full seasonal spread...