Southwest monsoon covers entire country: IMD

NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon has further advanced into the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab, covering the entire country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

The department said that there has been a delay of a day in the monsoon, covering the whole country, as it normally takes place on July 8.

The monsoon onset over Kerala this year took place on June 4, marking the beginning of the southwest monsoon season (June-September) in the country. Usually, the arrival of the monsoon in the state occurs on June 1.

So far in July, India has witnessed a large surplus of rainfall, while the normal rainfall in the first nine days of the month is 73.8 mm, the country as a whole has seen 101.9 mm of rainfall.

Note that in its monthly forecast on June 30, the IMD had predicted rain across the country in the first seven to 10 days of the month.

However, it added that July will be drier than usual, with rainfall across the country expected to be 94 per cent of the long-period average (LPA).

LPA refers to the rainfall recorded over a particular region for a given period, such as a month or a season, averaged over a long period, typically 30 to 50 years.

In June, India saw a rainfall deficit of about 40 per cent, with Central India worst affected by a deficit of 50.4 per cent. The country saw the fifth-lowest (99.5 mm) rainfall in the month since 1901.

Currently, the overall rainfall deficit in the country stands at 14 per cent for the period between June 1 and July 9, according to IMD data.

Overall, according to the department's forecast, the monsoon rainfall this year is likely to be 90 per cent of the long-period average with a model error of 4 per cent.

The LPA of seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole, based on data from 1971 to 2020, is 87 cm.

One key reason for this deficit is the emergence of El Nino conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which leads to less rainfall in India.