Glacier FarmMedia—Above-average moisture is expected from India’s annual southwest monsoon this year, according to an update from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) released Monday.
The southwest monsoon typically runs from June 1 through September as it advances northward and accounts for about 70 per cent of India’s seasonal rainfall. The IMD expects the monsoon to hit the Kereala coast on the southern tip of India on May 31.
Rainfall over the entire country is expected to hit 106 per cent of the long period average (LPA), with a model error of plus or minus four per cent. However, a regional breakdown calls for above normal precipitation in central and southern India, but average in the northwest and below normal in the northeast.
While moisture is needed for crop growth, the IMD is also forecasting above normal temperatures across many areas of the country during the monsoon season. Daytime highs climbed above 40 degrees Celsius across much of northern India over the past weekend, with Phalodi, Rajasthan hitting 50C on May 26, according to IMD data.
