Monsoon season ends with 'below-average' rain in El Nino year, says IMD
El Niño conditions this year, which ended up providing “near normal" precipitation. These factors included the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), it said in a statement. Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels. Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights!" Click here! While the IOD is defined by the difference in the sea surface temperatures between the western parts of the Indian Ocean near Africa and the eastern parts of the ocean near Indonesia, MJO is a large-scale atmospheric disturbance originating in tropical Africa and travelling eastward, typically lasting 30 to 60 days.
It is known for increasing convection in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Addressing a press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the 2023 monsoon season concluded with 94.4 percent cumulative rainfall, which is “near normal". Normal rainfall is critical for India's agricultural landscape, with 52 percent of the net cultivated area relying on it.
Additionally, it plays a crucial role in replenishing reservoirs essential for drinking water and power generation throughout the country. Rainfed agriculture contributes to approximately 40 percent of the country's total food production, making it a vital contributor to India's food security and economic stability. In a pre-monsoon briefing, the IMD had predicted a normal monsoon for India, albeit on the lower side of normal.
It had, however, cautioned that El Nino might influence the latter half of the southwest monsoon. However, normal cumulative rainfall over the country during the monsoon season also doesn't mean even spatial and temporal spread of precipitation. The Indian monsoon refers to
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