India could experience above-normal rainfall in July, says IMD chief
India recorded below-normal rainfall in June, with the deficit standing at 11 per cent, the highest in five years, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.
According to the IMD data, the country received 147.2 mm of rainfall against a normal of 165.3 mm for the month, the seventh lowest since 2001.
June rainfall accounts for 15 per cent of the total precipitation of 87 cm recorded during the four-month monsoon season in the country.
After making an early onset over Kerala and the northeastern region on May 30, and progressing normally up to Maharashtra, the monsoon lost momentum, extending the wait for rains in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, and worsening the impact of a scorching heat wave in northwest India.
"The country recorded 16 days of below-normal rainfall activity -- from June 11 to June 27 -- which led to overall below-normal precipitation," IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
The IMD reported that ...