‘India to get ‘below normal’ rainfall in June as monsoon progress stalls’
New Delhi: India has experienced a 20 per cent deficit in rainfall since the monsoon season began on June 1, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The overall precipitation for June is expected to be below average, raising concerns about the agricultural landscape and water reservoir levels in the country.
Since its early arrival on the Indian mainland, the monsoon has not made significant progress beyond June 12, leading to a prolonged wait for relief in north India, which is suffering from a severe heatwave.
However, the IMD forecasts favourable conditions for the monsoon to advance into parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh, northwest Bay of Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand over the next three to four days.
From June 1 to 18, India recorded 64.5 mm of rainfall, 20 per cent less than the long period average (LPA) of 80.6 mm.
Since June 1, northwest India has recorded 10.2 mm of rainfall (70 per cent less than normal), central India 50.5 mm (31 per cent less than normal), the south peninsula 106.6 mm (16 per cent more than normal), and east and northeast India 146.7 mm (15 per cent less than normal).
The southwest monsoon advanced into parts of the Nicobar Islands on May 19. It subsequently covered most parts of the south and some parts of the central Bay of Bengal by May 26 along with Cyclone Remal.
It simultaneously reached Kerala and the northeastern states on May 30, two and six days earlier than normal, respectively.
By June 12, it had gradually covered the entire states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; most parts of southern Maharashtra and some parts of southern Chhattisgarh and southern Odisha; and most parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and all northeastern states.
“Thereafter, the monsoon has not progressed, and its northern limit on June 18 passes through Navsari, Jalgaon, Amravati, Chandrapur, Bijapur, Sukma, Malkangiri, and Vizianagaram,” the IMD said.
The IMD predicts that average rainfall in June will be below normal (less than 92 per cent of the LPA). While the southern peninsula and parts of northeast India may see normal to above-normal rainfall, many regions in northwest and central India, as well as parts of northeast India, are likely to experience below-normal rainfall.
