The 2009 monsoon season is underway in Kerala, with the arrival of the south-west monsoon a week earlier than it’s usual date. The southern part of state is currently receiving heavy rainfall.

The monsoon will now make its way across India. Mumbai and the rest of Maharastra isn’t likely to see it until early June though. This is because the presence of cyclone Aila on the east coast of India has weakened the pressure of the monsoon winds, thus slowing its progress.

The cyclone has been producing heavy rainfall, which is expected to continue in West Bengal, Sikkim, and India’s north-eastern states. Kolkata and Darjeeling have been very badly hit, requiring rescue operations to be carried out.

The monsoon is expected to reach Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, by the middle of June.

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If you’re traveling to India from the US, Canada or Mexico, it’s likely that you’ll be checked for symptoms of swine flu when you arrive at the airport in India. The virus, which is usually found in pigs, recently started spreading to humans in Mexico and other countries.

Special counters, staffed by doctors and nurses, have been set up at nine international airports in India — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Goa and Cochin.

One person flying to Hyderabad from Texas in the US was quarantined after exhibiting flu like symptoms. However, it turned out that he fortunately only had a cold.

So far, India has remained free of swine flu but the country is on high alert and preventative measures are being undertaken.

Northern India is melting under a searing heatwave at the moment, In Delhi, the temperature has been consistently hovering around 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit), forcing schools to close early for the summer vacation.

In Uttar Pradesh, the maximum temperature has averaged 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Jhansi has been the hottest place in the state, with a recorded temperature of 45.4 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit). Uttarakhand isn’t much cooler. The temperature at Dehradun reached a 39 year high of nearly 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Needless to say, the plains of Punjab and the Rajasthan desert are also sweltering under above normal temperatures.

So where can you go to escape the summer heat? The state of Himachal Pradesh is a good option. In Shimla, the temperature reached a 10 year high of only 28.4 degrees Celsius (83 degrees Fahrenheit). Manali also remains relatively cool and has some beautiful scenery.

You can also consider Nainital or Mussoorie as your summer destination this year.