The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday said that the second half of the monsoon season will receive normal rainfall, PTI reported. The IMD said that rainfall during August and September is likely to be around 100% of the Long Period Average, is the average of rainfall between 1951 and 2000.
Rainfall between 94% and 104% of the LPA is considered normal, the IMD said. August will witness rainfall up to 99% of the LPA. In India, the LPA is considered 89 centimetres.
While the IMD has predicted a normal monsoon this year, it has recorded 3% deficient rainfall from June 1 to August 7. While India’s southern peninsula has been experiencing drought-like conditions, states like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Assam have witnessed floods.
In June, the IMD had revised its monsoon forecast from 96% to 98%, citing a weakening of the El-Nino phenomenon, which heats up the waters of the Pacific Ocean. “The atmospheric conditions over the Pacific Ocean continue to reflect neutral El-Nino conditions. The latest forecast also indicates neutral ENSO [El Nino-Southern Oscillation] conditions till the spring season,” the IMD said on Tuesday.
It added that the Indian Ocean Dipole conditions are also neutral, which is a good sign for August and September rain. The Indian Ocean Dipole, also known as the Indian Nino, is a continuous shifting of the sea-surface temperatures in which the Indian Ocean becomes alternatively warmer and colder in its eastern part.
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