The monsoon is “very likely” to hit Kerala by June 9, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said. It said that the southwest monsoon has furthered advanced into some parts of south Arabian Sea, Maldives, Comorin area and some parts of southwest Bay of Bengal. “In view of strengthening of cross equatorial flow and deepening of westerlies over south Arabian sea and development of feeble off-shore trough along Karnataka-Kerala coast, onset over Kerala is very likely by June 9,” the IMD said in its latest bulletin. The IMD had on Monday said that conditions continue to remain favourable for the onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala in next 48 hours, marking the start of rainy season in the country. The IMD had earlier said that monsoon should hit the Kerala coast on June 7, with an error margin of plus or minus four days.