India, June 9 -- The southwest monsoon advanced deeper into Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday, detailing the rainy season's steady march northwards.

Monsoon clouds will cloak more parts of these states, some areas in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Sikkim and the rest of the northeast "in the next two or three days", the agency said in its forecast.

IMD added that the rains will advance into "some more parts of central Arabian Sea, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, the remaining parts of Tamil Nadu, southwest Bay of Bengal, some more parts of west-central and northwest Bay of Bengal".

The rain-bearing system has covered large tracts of s...