Monsoon covers entire India; Rainfall deficit at 14%, says IMD

The southwest monsoon has moved further into the remaining regions of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, covering the whole of India, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD) statement on Thursday.

According to the department, the onset of the monsoon has been delayed by a day as it usually occurs on July 8.

While the monsoon onset in Kerala this year began on June 4, it marks the start of the southwest monsoon season in India for the period of June to September. Previously monsoon in Kerala used to happen on June 1.


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Hence, so far in July, India has experienced heavy rainfall where the amount of norm is 73.8 mm during the first nine days of July and the actual rainfall in the country has been around 101.9 mm.

The IMD had reported in its monthly forecast on June 30 that it expected rain in the first week to ten days of the month.

The IMD forecast, however, predicted that July is likely to be drier than normal and expected rainfall in the country to be 94 per cent of long-period average (LPA).

LPA is defined as rainfall in a region averaged out over years or time periods, for example months.

The rainfall deficit in June recorded in the country was about 40 per cent, with the Central India region adversely impacted with a deficit of 50.4 per cent. The month saw fifth-lowest rainfall (99.5 mm) in India since 1901.

The overall rainfall deficit in the country at present stands at 14 per cent for the period June 1 to July 9.

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According to IMD, the overall forecast for the monsoon rainfall in the country this year is 90 per cent of LPA with a model error of four per cent.

LPA for seasonal rainfall for the country based on analysis of data for the 1971 to 2020 period is 87 cm.
A key factor behind this rainfall deficit is the development of El Niño conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which typically suppress monsoon rainfall across India.