New Delhi, June 7 -- The southwest monsoon advanced further on Sunday, covering more areas of the west-central Bay of Bengal and the northeastern states. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over southern and northeastern India for the coming week. Crucial for kharif sowing, the monsoon arrived in Kerala on 4 June, three days after its normal 1 June onset.

As of 7 June, the monsoon has progressed into more areas of west-central and north-west Bay of Bengal, and its entire northeast, and fully covered Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, IMD said. It has also entered parts of Tripura, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, it added.

The weather office has forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall,...