 "India faces 20% rainfall deficit in June as monsoon progress stalls: IMD")
Since the start of the monsoon season on June 1, India has received 20 per cent less rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The weather department stated that current conditions support the monsoon's advancement into parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh, northwest Bay of Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand in the next three to four days.
Rainfall below long period average
The IMD further stated that India received 64.5 mm of rainfall from June 1 to 18, which is 20 per cent below the long period average (LPA) of 80.6 mm. During this period, northwest India received 10.2 mm of rainfall (70 per cent below normal), central India received 50.5 mm (31 per cent below normal), the south peninsula received 106.6 mm (16 per cent above normal), and east and northeast India received 146.7 mm (15 per cent below normal).
Monsoon arrives in India
The southwest monsoon arrived in parts of the Nicobar Islands on May 19. By May 26, it had extended over much of the southern and some parts of the central Bay of Bengal, coinciding with Cyclone Remal, the IMD said.
On May 30, the monsoon reached Kerala and the northeastern states, arriving two and six days earlier than usual, respectively.
As of June 12, the monsoon had covered the entire states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. It also covered most areas of southern Maharashtra, and portions of southern Chhattisgarh and southern Odisha. Additionally, it extended over most parts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and all northeastern states.
Since then, the monsoon has stalled, and as of June 18, its northern boundary runs through Navsari, Jalgaon, Amravati, Chandrapur, Bijapur, Sukma, Malkangiri, and Vizianagaram, the IMD said.
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The IMD reported that from June 1 to 18, as many as 11 meteorological subdivisions across the country received normal to significantly above-average rainfall, whereas 25 sub-divisions experienced deficient to significantly deficient rainfall.
Rainfall: Below-normal in June
The forecast indicates that overall rainfall across the country in June is likely to be below normal, expected to be less than 92 per cent of the long period average (LPA).
Above-normal rainfall is predicted for most areas of the southern peninsula and some parts of northeast India, while below-normal rainfall is expected in many areas of northwest and adjoining central India, as well as some parts of northeast India, the IMD said.
In May, the IMD said the country could experience above-normal rainfall during the four-month monsoon season (June to September), with cumulative rainfall estimated to reach 106 per cent of the LPA of 87 cm.
Northeast: Below-normal rainfall
Northeast India is expected to receive below-normal monsoon rainfall, while normal rainfall is expected in the northwest and above-normal rainfall in the central and southern peninsular regions of India, the IMD said.
The weather department has predicted that India's primary monsoon zone, which includes most of the rain-fed agricultural areas in the country, will experience above-normal rainfall this season.