El Nino threat is fading to India's critical monsoon season

India’s southwest monsoon, which waters more than half of the country’s farmland, is likely to be normal this year as odds of an El Nino fade, Skymet Weather Services Pvt. said on Monday.

The probability of normal showers this year is more than 50 percent, Jatin Singh, managing director of the New Delhi-based private forecaster, told reporters in a preliminary forecast. The odds of excess showers or drought are limited, he added.

Rainfall between 96 percent and 104 percent of the long-term average of about 89 centimeters (35 inches) is considered normal, Singh said, adding that rain is likely to be in