Mumbai, June 12: The southwestern Monsoon winds made landfall in Maharashtra, confirmed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday. The rainfall-laden winds are expected to cover the entire state in next 48 hours, a top official of the weather station in Mumbai said. Monsoon 2020 Forecast: Heavy to Very Heavy Rainfall Likely Over Vidarbha Region, Madhya Maharashtra, Coastal Karnataka Over Next 24 Hours, Says IMD.

The confirmation of landfall came a day after the rainfall marking the onset of Monsoon was reported in coastal Maharashtra, along the Konkan belt. The region was also severely hit by cyclone Amphan in the past week.

The IMD officials, in their update on Thursday, had confirmed that Monsoon had struck Ratnagiri and Solapur districts of Maharashtra. The arrival of rainfall season is keenly awaited by farmers in the state, as they massively depend on rainfall for the year-long irrigation arrangements.

Update by ANI

"Monsoon has made landfall in Maharashtra. As conditions are favourable, the complete state will be covered in the next 48 hours," said Shubhangi Bhute, Scientist, IMD Mumbai.

The coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa are already reeling under rainfall which began since the onset of June. Kerala was the first state to receive rainfall, with the IMD marking June 1 as the date when the rain-laden winds enveloped over the state.

Under the normal course, the southwest rain-laden winds cover Maharashtra within 10 days of reaching Kerala. The arrival was, however, delayed due to the low pressure formation in Arabian Sea region, which later developed into the severe cyclonic storm of Amphan.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 12, 2020 10:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).