Monsoon clouds entered the country on Wednesday, a day after the normal date, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

“This year’s monsoon system entered today [Wednesday] into Koshi Province, eastern Madhesh, almost all parts of Bagmati Province, and eastern part of Gandaki Province,” the division said in a special bulletin on Wednesday afternoon.

It will take a few days for the phenomenon to reach the remaining parts of the country, according to the Met division.

Normally, it takes a week for the monsoon clouds to spread all over the country.

Meteorologists at the division say clouds entering the country from the Bay of Bengal have caused rainfall in most districts of Koshi Province, eastern parts of Madhesh Province, in Bagmati Province and in Gandaki Province.

The monsoon season in Nepal generally begins on June 13 and ends on September 23. Last year, the monsoon entered the country on June 5, eight days before the average date.

A normal monsoon, supported by the timely arrival of rain, translates into favourable conditions for agricultural production, mainly of paddy, and is linked with the country’s overall economic growth.

However, meteorologists have forecast below-average rainfall in the upcoming rainy season. The department’s climate section, which forecast weather conditions for four months (June 1 to September 30), said most parts of the country are likely to experience an above-average maximum temperature due to the El Nino conditions—unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean—that generally brings dry weather.

“There is a 35 to 55 percent chance of both conditions—a below-average rainfall and an above-average maximum temperature,” the department said.

The monsoon season, which delivers around 80 percent of the country’s total annual rainfall, generally lasts 105 days. But, in recent years, it has been taking more time to withdraw.