As temperatures zoom northwards, the wait for south-west monsoon could be a bit longer with the weatherman saying the annual rains would arrive in Kerala only next week.
"There is no further progress as yet," India Meteorological Department's (IMD) chief forecaster D Sivananda Pai told PTI when asked about the progress of monsoon.
Weather scientists said conditions were becoming favourable for further advance of monsoon over some parts of the Bay of Bengal during the next three days.
However, scientists do not see this as an indication towards an early onset over Kerala.
"We stick to the IMD's forecast of monsoon onset over Kerala by June 3," Swati Basu, director of National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting told PTI.
The monsoon rains, crucial for India's agro-based economy, brought first showers to the Andaman Sea on May 17, three days earlier than the usual date, aided by the then raging cyclone Mahasen.
It made some headway between May 17 and May 20 but has not moved any further since.
Cyclone Mahasen, which ravaged coastal Bangladesh and parts of Myanmar, sucked up moisture in the monsoon winds, leaving them dry.
"Cyclonic activity weakens monsoon flow. It takes some time to reorganise," Pai said when asked about the reasons for the delay in onset over Kerala.
Mercury levels have been rising across north India for the past week with temperatures crossing 45 degree Celsius in parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab yesterday.
