The wait for the monsoon’s entry into south Bengal is getting longer.

A Met bulletin on Thursday named places where the southwest monsoon is likely to enter in the next “three to four days”. South Bengal is not on the list.

“The northern limit of monsoon continues to pass through Navsari (Gujarat), Jalgaon (Maharashtra), Amravati (Maharashtra), Chandrapur (Maharashtra), Bijapur (Karnataka), Sukma (Chhattisgarh), Malkangiri (Odisha), Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh) and Islampur (North Dinajpur in Bengal),” the bulletin said.

“Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh and northwest Bay of Bengal during next 3-4 days.”

A Met official said a clearer picture on when the monsoon may arrive in south Bengal is expected to emerge on Friday.

“The weather conditions are not conducive to the entry of the monsoon into south Bengal over the next three days. But the conditions may change. We expect to have a better understanding by Friday,” said H.R. Biswas, head of the weather section at the Regional Meteorological Centre, Calcutta.

This year, the monsoon reached the Northeast on May 30 and north Bengal on May 31. The usual date of the onset in these places is around June 5.

The usual arrival date in south Bengal — parts of which are reeling under heat wave and the other parts gasping under the combine assault of heat and humidity — is around June 10.

The usual gap between the onset of the monsoon in the two halves of Bengal is five days. In recent times, 2022 saw the longest gap — 15 days. This year is close to surpassing that gap.

The monsoon flow is very active in north Bengal and the Northeast.

Incessant rainfall throughout Wednesday night has led to a swelling the Teesta, which led to flooding of several areas in north Bengal.

But south Bengal stands in sharp contrast. Isolated thunderstorms are the only source of relief here, which lasts barely a night.

“Isolated and scattered rain in the form of thundershowers are expected in the districts of south Bengal on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Between Monday and Wednesday (June 17 and 19), fairly widespread rain is expected across south Bengal,” said Somenath Dutta, who heads IMD, Calcutta.

In Calcutta, the maximum temperature on Thursday was just over 35 degrees Celsius, around normal for mid-June. The maximum humidity was 87 per cent and the minimum 66 per cent.