India Likely To Receive Above-Normal Monsoon Rainfall in June: IMD

As Kerala officially welcomed the South West Monsoon, marking the onset of the country's crucial four-month rainy season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said that India is likely to receive above-normal rainfall amounting to 108 per cent of the long-period average in June.

The weather agency said that India is expected to get 106 per cent of the long-period average rainfall of 87 cm during the entire monsoon season.

Speaking at a press conference, M Ravichandran, Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said the monsoon core zone is expected to get above-normal rainfall (more than 106 per cent of the long-period average) this season.

The monsoon core zone includes parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and nearby areas. This region gets most of its rain during the Southwest Monsoon and depends heavily on it for agriculture.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, however, said that Northwest India is likely to receive normal rainfall, while the Northeast may see below-normal rain. Central and south peninsular India are expected to record above-normal rainfall.

The South West Monsoon has officially arrived in Kerala, marking the start of India's vital four-month rainy season. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed the onset on Saturday, noting its arrival is earlier than the typical June 1st date. This is the earliest the monsoon has hit since 2009 (May 24th) and aligns perfectly with the IMD's recent forecast. The seasonal rains will now begin their northward advance across the country, expected to be complete by mid-July.

Meanwhile, heavy rains have several parts of the country, including Kerala and Maharashtra.

The weather agency stated that the conditions are favourable for further advance of monsoon into some more parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and North Bay of Bengal, parts of Karnataka, and Northeastern states in the coming days.