The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Monday that this year’s monsoon is likely to bring above-normal rainfall across most parts of the country.
IMD stated that except for some regions in the northwest, northeast, and eastern states, the majority of India is expected to receive above-normal rainfall during the monsoon season from June to September 2024. Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, the Director General of IMD, revealed during a press conference that there is a 106% probability of long-term average (LPA) rainfall during the 2024 Southwest Monsoon season across the country. He explained that rainfall between 96% and 104% of the long-term average is considered normal.
Mahapatra highlighted that rainfall exceeding 106% falls into the above-normal category, while rainfall ranging from 105% to 110% is classified as excess. The average monsoon rainfall duration across the country is 87 centimeters.
Regarding the monsoon’s relation to La Nina, Mahapatra stated that favorable La Nina conditions are expected to be active in India until August-September.
IMD’s data from 1951 to 2023 revealed that India experienced above-normal monsoon rainfall on nine occasions when La Nina followed an El Nino event.
