Rainfall about 13 per cent above normal so far: MET department

NEW DELHI: Good rainfall has so far been recorded over southern peninsula, central India and east and northeast India this summer with over 13 per cent above the normal limit, the MET department today said.

The country as a whole has received 69.6 mm of rainfall overall as compared to normal limit of 61.4 mm from June 1 till date. Until yesterday, the country had received 5 per cent of excess rainfall but the figure rose by 8 per cent today.

After a good spell of rain across the country, the deficit decreased to minus 1 per cent in northwest India while the southern peninsula recorded normal rainfall and central India registered an 18 per cent of excess precipitation than its normal limit.

The east and the northeast India continued to get excess rainfall of 22 per cent.

According to Skymet, a private forecasting agency, over the week, the southwest monsoon is likely to advance over some more parts of Gujarat, entire Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, parts of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh this week.

First monsoon system in the Bay of Bengal is also brewing, which may cause good weather activity across the country, particularly in east and central India, the agency added.

Skymet has also given a forecast that over the first half of the week, temperatures in the plains of North India are going to rise but no heat wave is expected.

"The sky will be clear and humidity will increase. Windy conditions are also likely to prevail. However, day temperatures will remain below the 40 degrees Celsius mark and there aren't any heatwave conditions expected.

"The hills on the other hand will enjoy pleasant weather with occasional light rain. From June 19 onwards, the winds will begin to change from northwesterlies to easterlies, leading to drop in temperatures once again. Rain and thunder shower activity is expected during this period which is likely to spill over to the next week," Skymet said.