New Delhi, Jun 25 (IANS): Southwest Monsoon advanced into the national capital and adjoining states, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said, "Southwest Monsoon further advances over some more parts of west Rajasthan, East Rajasthan, eastern parts of Haryana, Delhi, entire Uttar Pradesh, most parts of Punjab and some parts of Haryana today dated 25.06.2020."

The monsoon rains are critical for farmers in India as the majority of the country's net-sown area does not have any form of irrigation. Farmers wait for the rains to begin for sowing of crops.

The IMD, in its long-range monsoon forecast, had predicted good rains at 107 per cent of the long-period average (LPA) in north-west India.

The LPA of the monsoon season rainfall over the country between 1951 and 2000 is 89 cm. It is kept as a benchmark while forecasting the quantitative rainfall for the monsoon season every year.