New Delhi: Rainfall over the country as a whole for the 2020 Southwest monsoon season (June to September) is most likely to be 'Normal', said India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday.
IMD has released it's second stage monsoon forecast, on the day when the southwest monsoon reached Kerala exactly on time, in which it said that quantitatively, monsoon season rainfall for the country as a whole is likely to be 102 per cent of the long period average (LPA) of 88 centimetres.
The forecast is with a model error of plus-minus of 4 per cent.
Earlier, IMD issued the first stage of an operational long-range forecast for the Southwest monsoon season rainfall in India on April 15, which predicted 100 per cent of LPA.
Region-wise forecast for North-West India, comprising of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi projected to get 'above normal' rainfall this year at 107 per cent of LPA, while Central India and South Peninsula will be towards the higher side of the 'normal' range with 103 and 102 per cent of LPA.
Read:| Southwest monsoon makes onset in Kerala: IMD
North-East and East India are expected to get 96 per cent of LPA equivalent rainfall. This prediction is with a model error of plus-minus 8 per cent.
However, this should not cause problems in the region as the total quantum of rainfall is the Eastern part is higher than the other regions.
The forecast further stated, "The monthly rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be at 103 per cent of its LPA during July and 97 per cent of LPA during August, both with a model error of plus-minus 9 per cent."
IMD classified rainfall equivalent between 96-104 per cent of LPA as "Normal" while that of between 104-110 per cent as "above normal" rainfall. From 90 to 95 per cent, rainfall has classified as "below normal".
Earlier today, IMD informed that the southwest monsoon has arrived over Kerala while making a commencement of four-month-long rainfall season.
A depression over the Southeast Arabian Sea, which is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours.
IMD has predicted that this cyclonic storm will cross north Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts during the evening/night of June 3.
Read:| IMD predicts heavy rainfall for Bihar, Himachal Pradesh
