Southwest monsoon entered the North East on Thursday and is likely to bring heavy rainfall in the region, the India Meteorological Department said.

“Southwest monsoon has further advanced into some parts of northwest Bay of Bengal, some more parts of northeast and eastcentral Bay of Bengal and most parts of Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland,” the weather office said.

It also predicted isolated heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya from Thursday till Saturday.

In the last two weeks of May, Assam was battered with heavy rains. It has received rainfall that is 62% above the normal from March to May, the highest in 10 years, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department.

On Thursday, the weather office predicted that an intense spell of rainfall will take place in some parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim for the next five days.

“Isolated or scattered rainfall with thunderstorm or lightning or gusty winds very likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal in the next five days,” it added.

Under the influence of monsoonal westerly winds from Arabian Sea over the south peninsular India, the weather department has predicted fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms in coastal and south interior Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep for the next five days.

“Isolated to scattered rainfall over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, north interior Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during the next five days,” it said. “Isolated heavy rainfall also likely over Tamil Nadu and south interior Karnataka from June 2 to 4.”

Kerala will experience heavy rainfall in isolated area on Thursday and Friday. Similar forecast has been predicted for Mahe for Sunday and Monday.

The southwest monsoon reached Kerala on May 29, three days ahead of the normal time of its onset.

On Tuesday, the weather office had said that India could receive above normal monsoon rainfall this year.

Timely and normal rains are critical for the country’s farm output as a brutal heatwave had hit crops in March and April. The monsoon can also help tackle India’s inflation, which jumped to an eight-year high in April.

On Thursday, the India Meteorological Department said that maximum temperatures have been rising gradually by about 2 degrees Celsius over northwest India.

“Heatwave conditions in isolated places very likely over Rajasthan on June 2 and 3; over south Punjab, south Haryana, south Uttar Pradesh and north Madhya Pradesh on June 3 and 4 and over Vidarbha during June 2 to 5,” it added.