After Unusual Heatwaves In April, IMD Predicts Southwest Monsoon To Be Normal

The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that the southwest monsoon to be normal.

Dense cloud in India during monsoon season (Getty Images)

New Delhi: While most parts of the country are witnessing unusual hot days in April and back-to-back heatwaves, the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted the southwest monsoon to be normal. 

The Met department has said, "Southwest monsoon in India as a whole likely to be normal."

Rainfall will be 96 per cent to 104 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 87 cm of the 1971-2020 period, it noted.

Earlier, the IMD used to consider the LPA of 88cm of the 1961-2010 period.

"All-India rainfall normal based on 1971-2020 (period) for the southwest monsoon season is 868.6 mm. It will replace the normal of 880.6mm based on 1961-2010," it said.

Normal to above-normal rainfall is most likely over many areas in the northern part of peninsular India, central India, along the foothills of the Himalayas and some parts of northwest India.

Below normal rainfall is likely over many parts of northeast India, some parts of northwest India and southern parts of the southern peninsula.

Delhiites woke up to a warm morning as the minimum temperature of the city on Thursday was recorded at 26.2 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal even as the weather office predicted strong winds during the day.

The weather office also predicted that heatwave conditions are unlikely in the city for the next three days.

Strong surface winds will sweep across the region during the daytime on Thursday. The maximum temperature of the day is likely to hover around 40 degrees Celsius, officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The maximum temperature of Wednesday has settled at 40.6 degrees Celsius, five notches above the season's average.
The relative humidity at 5.30 am was 35 per cent, the IMD said.

The Monsoon season generally begins in India on June 1 and, is crucial for summer crops and brings about 70% of India’s annual rainfall. It is crucial to the country’s agriculture, which is one of the mainstays of its economy. Monsoon spurs farm produce and improves rural spending.

Monsoon rains are a lifeline for about 60% of the country’s net cultivated area, which has no irrigation.