Rainfall update: IMD predicts below-normal monsoon in June

Rainfall prediction: The India Meteorological Department predicted below-normal monsoon rainfall in June, in what has come as some rather unwelcome news amid the intense heatwave conditions gripping large parts of the country. While some regions are receiving excessive rainfall, the average June rainfall is expected to be below normal, the weather department said on Tuesday. 

“Rainfall over the country as a whole for the month of June 2024 (till June 18) was 64.5 mm which was 20 per cent less than its Long Period Average (LPA) of 80.6 mm,” the IMD said in a note. It said that out of the subdivisions it monitors, 11 received normal to large excess, while 25 received deficient to large deficient rainfall. 

“The average June rainfall for the country as a whole is most likely to be below normal (

The weather department said that the normal to above normal monthly rainfall is mostly likely over parts of south peninsula India and some areas of Northeast. Below rainfall is most likely over many areas of Northwest and adjoining Central India, as well as some areas of Northeast India. 

MONSOON UPDATE

In an update on the arrival of monsoon, IMD stated that Southwest Monsoon advanced into some parts of Nicobar Islands on May 19, and subsequently advanced over most parts of south and some part of Central Bay of Bengal by May 26 in association with Cyclone Remal. 

Monsoon set in simultaneously over Kerala and the Northeastern states on May 30. The onset of Kerala was two days before and over Northeast India, and six days before the normal date. 

The monsoon gradually progressed northward to cover entire states of Kerala, Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Goa & Telangana, most parts of South Maharashtra and some parts of South Chhattisgarh, South Odisha, most parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim and entire Northeastern states by June 12.