India to see above-average rainfall in July, IMD says
India is likely to see above-average rainfall in July, the Indian Meteorological Department said on Monday. The monsoon will cover entire country ahead of normal schedule, IMD said.
There is 80 per cent probability of normal to above-normal rainfall in July. Delhi is expected to get heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the ongoing month, as per the Indian weather office.
A favourable monsoon forecast spells would bring bucketloads of relief for India, many parts of which reeled from extreme heat even in June. This was the warmest June in Northwest India since 1901.
The south Asian country saw below-normal rainfall in June. June monsoon deficit stood at a five-year high of 11 per cent, IMD said.
In India's monsoon season, June contributes 15% of the total 87 cm rainfall. While the monsoon began early over Kerala and the northeast on May 30, its progress stalled after Maharashtra. This delay intensified heat waves in northwest India and prolonged dry conditions in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
«The country recorded 16 days of below-normal rainfall activity — from June 11 to June 27 — which led to overall below-normal precipitation,» IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
The Meteorological Office forecasts below-normal monsoon rainfall in northeast India, normal rainfall in the northwest, and above-normal rainfall in the central and south peninsular regions. The core monsoon zone, crucial for India's agriculture with 52% of cultivated land, is expected to
