The India Meteorological Department announced that the Southwest monsoon had covered India on Friday. The monsoon reached Sriganganagar in Rajasthan, which is considered to be its last outpost in India, 17 days ahead of schedule, PTI reported.

The monsoon generally reaches Sriganganagar by July 15. “Good easterly rains have taken the monsoon to the entire country early,” Additional Director General Mritunjay Mohapatra said.

The weather department has forecast heavy rain at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and coastal Karnataka on Saturday. It has also predicted heavy rain in isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Kerala.

The Met department said rainfall activity may reduce over central India and increase along the Himalayan foothill regions on July 1 and 2.

Heavy rain triggered landslides on the Manali-Leh highway in Himachal Pradesh and forced the suspension of the annual Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.