Southwest monsoon covered the entire country six days before the normal date

The southwest monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, six days ahead of schedule, as it advanced in the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD said on Friday that the monsoon is predicted to be normal in July across the country, with the exception of regions of eastern Uttar Pradesh and south Bihar.

According to the weather service, the monsoon swept the entire country on Sunday, rather than the usual date of July 8. In June, rainfall was inadequate in 16 states and union territories, with Bihar and Kerala reporting large deficits of 69% and 60% below average, respectively. Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, experienced less rainfall than is typical for June, the first month of the southwest monsoon season.

“The monthly rainfall averaged across the country as a whole during July 2023 is most likely to be normal (94 to 106% of LPA) and most likely on the positive side of normal,” IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Friday. Based on 1971-2020 data, the long period average (LPA) of rainfall over the country during July is approximately 280.4 mm. The occurrence of equatorial Pacific Ocean warming, known as El Nino conditions, is likely to develop in July. El Nino is known for reducing monsoon rainfall.

According to Mohapatra, June rainfall has been typical in most recent El Nino years.If a single meteorological subdivision reports heat wave conditions, it is treated as a single MSD. The weather service forecasted normal to above-average maximum temperatures for most of the country in July, with the exception of few regions in northwest and peninsular India. It predicted average to above-normal minimum temperatures for most of the country, with the exception of several places in northwest India.