LUCKNOW, June 25 -- The Southwest monsoon is likely to reach east Uttar Pradesh this weekend, bringing the season's first rains to districts bordering Bihar after a 10-day delay. The delayed onset is expected around June 28, said Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Lucknow. "Conditions are now favourable for the Southwest Monsoon to reach Uttar Pradesh over the next few days," according to an India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin released on Wednesday. The postponed arrival has deepened UP's rainfall deficit to 54%, with the state receiving 26.5 mm of rain against the normal 58.2 mm between June 1-24. East UP's deficit stands at 67% (21.7 mm against 66 mm normal), while west UP lags at 29% (33.4 mm against 47.3 mm normal). The monsoon's normal onset date for UP is June 18. Forecasts show it will enter Gorakhpur by June 18, reach Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj by June 23, spread to Bareilly, Jhansi by June 24, Mainpuri on June 25, Agra, Bijnor by June 27. By Wednesday, the Southwest monsoon had advanced into the northeastern Arabian Sea, parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and remaining areas of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. The Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) passes through Surat, Indore, Daltonganj, and Muzaffarpur, according to the IMD bulletin issued on Wednesday. Rainfall data for the period from June 1 to June 23 shows uneven distribution across the state. Of UP's 75 districts, 37 recorded a 'large deficit,' 17 recorded a 'deficit,' 11 recorded 'normal' rainfall, five recorded 'excess' rainfall, four recorded 'large excess' rainfall, and Kaushambi recorded 'zero' rainfall. Among districts recording large excess rainfall, Agra reported a deviation of 116% above normal, followed by Sambhal (121%), Etah (98%) and Hathras (70%). Excess rainfall was recorded in Kannauj, Bulandshahr, Firozabad, Mathura and Muzaffarnagar. Eleven districts, including Lucknow's neighbouring districts such as Kanpur City and Farrukhabad, recorded rainfall within the normal range. These districts included Azamgarh, Ballia, Kanpur City, Maharajganj, Badaun, Baghpat, Etawah, Hapur, Meerut and Moradabad. Seventeen districts recorded deficient rainfall, including Gorakhpur, Sitapur, Raebareli, Sultanpur, Bareilly, Bijnor, Rampur, Saharanpur and Shahjahanpur. The situation was more severe in 37 districts that reported large deficient rainfall. These included Lucknow, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Barabanki, Bahraich, Gonda, Deoria, Kushinagar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Jhansi and several districts in Bundelkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh....