Monsoon will be normal in August & September: IMD

NEW DELHI: Monsoon rains would be normal in August and September, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.

In the second Long Range Forecast for rainfall during the second half of the Southwest Monsoon season, the IMD said the scenario realised till the end of July suggested that distribution of rainfall was very good across the country except Bihar, Jharkhand and north-eastern states.

The favourable distribution of rainfall was expected to continue for the next two months, it said, raising hopes for agricultural operations during the kharif season, reports PTI.

"The rainfall during August-2018 is likely to be 96 plus/minus 9 pc of LPA and expected to be higher than predicted in June. Quantitatively, the rainfall for the country as a whole during the second half of the season is likely to be 95 per cent of LPA (Long Period Average ) with a model error of plus or minus 8 pc," the IMD said.

Monsoon rain is considered normal in the range of 96-104 per cent of the LPA. The 90-96 pc of the LPA range is considered "below normal".

However, IMD Additional Director General M Mohapatra said for August-September period the normal limit was 94-106 per cent of the LPA.

This was unusual, said a former senior IMD official, as this was akin to changing the goalpost.