India's crucial monsoon will be normal this year but with less heavier rains as the weather office today marginally downgraded its earlier forecast. "Quantitatively, monsoon season rainfall for the country as a whole will be 96% of the long period average," Laxman Singh Rathore, Director General, India Meteorological Department (IMD) told reporters in New Delhi.
In April, the IMD had said the the country would receive 99% rains of the long period average (LPA).
A normal monsoon means rainfall between 96-104% of a 50-year average rains during the four-month season from June to September. The LPA has been pegged at 89cm.
Most parts of the country are expected to receive good rains in July-August, the crucial months for the country's trillion-dollar economy which depends largely on rain-fed agriculture.
Rains in July this year are likely to be 98% of the long period average, while the rainfall in August is forecast to be 96% of the LPA.
The northwest region, including Punjab and Haryana, considered to be India's granary states, are expected to receive below normal rains at 93% of the LPA, according to the IMD's update to its monsoon forecast which was issued on Friday.
Monsoon rains arrived four days late over Kerala on June 5 and are yet to pick up steam due to a string of atmospheric storms in the south-east Asian region which had affected the monsoon current.
{{/usCountry}}Monsoon rains arrived four days late over Kerala on June 5 and are yet to pick up steam due to a string of atmospheric storms in the south-east Asian region which had affected the monsoon current.
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