Goa, May 12 -- The southwest monsoon is likely to advance over parts of the south Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea and Andaman & Nicobar Islands towards the end of this week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.

According to IMD, weather conditions are gradually becoming favourable for the onset of the monsoon over the region. A low-pressure area currently lies over the southwest Bay of Bengal and is expected to intensify further over the next 48 hours.

However, IMD officials clarified that it is still too early to predict the exact onset date of the monsoon over Kerala. IMD Director General M Mohapatra said the department is expected to issue a forecast regarding Kerala's monsoon onset on or around May 15. The normal on...