Monsoon rains arrived in Kerala on Thursday after a delay of more than a week, the India Meteorological Department said.

The monsoon rains usually lash Kerala by June 1 and cover the whole country by mid-July. Timely and normal rains are critical for India’s farm output.

The weather department declares the onset of monsoon when nine out of 14 selected meteorological stations on the Kerala coast receive at least 2.5 mm rainfall for two consecutive days after May 10.

The India Meteorological Department on Thursday said that conditions are favourable for the monsoon to further advance into remaining parts of Kerala, some more parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the northeastern states.

However, this time the monsoon is expected to remain weak for at least one more week due to the formation of cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea.

“The powerful weather system in the Arabian Sea may spoil the advancement of the monsoon deep inland,” private weather tracking agency Skymet Weather had said on Tuesday. “Under their influence, the monsoon stream may reach coastal parts but will struggle to penetrate beyond the Western Ghats.”