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IMD raises monsoon rain outlook to 106% of the long-period average

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday raised its monsoon forecast for 2025, projecting rainfall at 106 per cent of the long-period average (LPA), up from 105 per cent predicted in April. It also expects June rainfall to be 'above normal', at over 108 per cent of the LPA. Cumulative monsoon rainfall between 105 per cent and 110 per cent of the LPA during the June-September period is considered 'above normal'. The seasonal LPA for the country, calculated over the period from 1971 to 2020, stands at 87 centimetres. The forecast for seasonal June-September rainfall carries a margin of error of +/- 4 per cent. The agency said rainfall across nearly all of India's homogenous regions — except the Northeast and parts of Bihar — was likely to be normal to above normal this year. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya could see below-normal rains, according to IMD's regional outlook. 'Above-normal' June rainfall is expected to keep maximum temperatures across most of India at or below seasonal averages, with no heat waves anticipated. The month typically receives 165.4 millimetres of rainfall. Monsoon rainfall in the 'core zone' — which comprises key rain-fed agricultural regions — is also forecast to be above normal, with a 56 per cent probability of strong precipitation. Good monsoon rain across key rainfed regions in central and western India could significantly boost pulses and oilseed output, potentially reducing the country's dependence on high-cost imports. Overall, a strong and well-distributed southwest monsoon is expected to bolster kharif crop production and leave behind significant residual soil moisture for a healthy rabi harvest. Agriculture was projected to account for about 16.35 per cent of India's gross domestic product (GDP) in FY25, according to the government's second advance estimate. A robust harvest could help the government curb food inflation and provide more room for the Reserve Bank of India to cut benchmark interest rates in FY26. It may also encourage the government to be more liberal on farm exports. The central bank has forecast 6.5 per cent GDP growth and 4 per cent retail inflation for FY26. Food inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, dropped to 1.78 per cent in April, from 2.69 per cent in March. Oils & fats and fruit were the only categories with double-digit inflation in April. 'Currently, neutral El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are prevailing over the equatorial Pacific regions, while the latest Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System, as well as other model forecasts, indicates that the neutral ENSO conditions are likely to continue during the monsoon season. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which is another factor that could influence Indian monsoon, is also expected to be weakly negative,' said IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. He expressed confidence in the agency's 'above normal' forecast, citing improved accuracy in recent years. He said that between 2021 and 2024, IMD's average absolute error of the operational forecast was 2.28 per cent of the LPA for the second-stage forecast, and 3.15 per cent of the LPA for the first-stage forecast. 'This was well within the error range of +/- 4 per cent,' Mohapatra said. While the average absolute error of the forecast for the previous four years (2017 to 2020) of both first and second-stage forecasts was 7.5 per cent of the LPA. The southwest monsoon reached Kerala on May 24 this year, marking its earliest arrival over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it reached the southern state on May 23. The primary rain-bearing system set in over Mumbai 16 days before the usual date, making it the earliest since 1950. The southwest monsoon usually makes its onset over Kerala by June 1, reaches Mumbai by June 11, and covers the entire country by July 8. It starts retreating from northwest India around September 17 and withdraws completely by October 15. Meteorologists caution that the date of monsoon onset has no direct correlation with overall seasonal rainfall. Early or late arrival in Kerala or Mumbai doesn't necessarily determine the rain's progress or distribution elsewhere in the country, which is determined by large-scale variabilities and global, regional and local features. India saw 934.8 millimetres of rainfall in 2024 — 108 per cent of the average. In 2023, it had recorded 820 millimetres, 94.4 per cent of the average. It had seen 925 millimetres of rainfall in 2022; 870 millimetres in 2021; and 958 millimetres in 2020, according to the IMD data. (With agency inputs)