Pune, June 7 -- The southwest monsoon entered Maharashtra on Saturday, maintaining its normal schedule for the state despite arriving late in Kerala earlier this week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The monsoon reached Kerala on June 4, three days later than its normal onset date of June 1 and nearly a week behind the IMD's earlier forecast of May 26. However, it progressed rapidly thereafter, covering large parts of the west coast up to Goa by June 5 before advancing into Maharashtra on June 6. In its latest update, the IMD said the southwest monsoon has advanced into additional parts of the west-central and east-central Arabian Sea, Karnataka, the entire Goa region, parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, most parts of Tamil Nadu, and the southwest Bay of Bengal. The weather department has forecast favourable conditions for further advancement of the monsoon over the next two to three days. It is expected to cover more parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, along with parts of Telangana, the remaining areas of Tamil Nadu, and additional regions over the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and northeastern India. The timely arrival of the monsoon in Maharashtra is expected to bring widespread rainfall across several parts of the state, offering relief from the summer heat and providing a boost to the upcoming agricultural season....