India To Receive Normal Monsoon This Year, 96% Rainfall Likely: IMD

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday predicted normal rainfall during the upcoming monsoon season. Monsoon is likely to arrive in Kerala a few days late, around June 4.

The country is expected to receive 96% of normal rainfall, with the northwestern part likely to be slightly deficient in rains with monsoon bringing in less than 92% of the normal, IMD said, adding that favourable conditions are expected over the next two days for the monsoon to advance.

“Below normal monthly (June) rainfall is expected over most parts of the country except some areas of south peninsular India, northwest India, extreme north India and some isolated pockets of northeast India, where above normal rainfall is expected,” IMD Environment Monitoring and Research Center (EMRC) chief D Sivananda Pai told PTI.

The southwest monsoon is expected to be normal, despite the onset of El Nino, which is caused due to warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

According to Pai, seasonal rainfall over the monsoon core zone consisting of most of the rain-fed agriculture areas in India is most likely to be normal – 94% to 106% of the long period average.

“Once the monsoon is stronger established, we are expecting the monsoon to arrive in Kerala around 4th June. Before 1st June, we are not expecting the monsoon to arrive. The monsoon is most likely to be normal this year,” Pai stated at a press conference.

“There is no cyclone probability in the Arabian sea for next week. If rainfall distribution is almost similar everywhere, then it will be an ideal situation. There won’t be any problem. If we get equal distribution everywhere, there won’t be much impact on agriculture. In northwest India, as of now, below-normal rainfall will be there,” IMD said.