The South-West monsoon is likely to make its onset over South Kerala during May 30-31, around the time earlier predicted by India Met Department (IMD).

On May 16, the IMD had set a window of 'May 30 plus or minus four days' for the onset of the monsoon over Kerala, the first point on mainland India. The onset will now happen towards the upper band of this window.

The onset date for Kerala was declared only two days after the monsoon had entered the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the farthest outpost in the Indian territorial waters.

The entire Maldives and the Comorin as well as parts of the South Arabian Sea would also have been covered when the monsoon checks into South Kerala, the IMD said today.

In a mid-noon update, it said conditions are also favourable for its advance over the North-Eastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.

Earlier today, the monsoon advanced into some parts of the Comorin area, some more parts of South-West and South-East Bay of Bengal, with the westerly winds strengthening.

Under the influence of the low-pressure area over the South-East and adjoining Central Bay of Bengal, the monsoon would enter more parts of the Bay during the next four to five days.

Earlier, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts too had said classical monsoon onset conditions would be visible over the South Indian peninsula by the month-end.

It has also put out a watch for intensification of the 'low' over the South-East Bay of Bengal into a monsoon depression, or even a minimal tropical cyclone.