New Delhi, April 17 -- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that it expects monsoon rainfall to be normal this year. "Southwest monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be normal (96-104%)," the IMD said in its first stage Long Range Forecast (LRF) for monsoons.

Addressing a press conference through video link, Secretary of Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. M. Rajeevan released the IMD's Long Range Forecast for the 2021 Southwest Monsoon Season Rainfall. Director-General of IMD, Dr. M. Mohapatra was also present.

Dr. Rajeevan said that quantitatively, the monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall is likely to be 98 % of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of 5%. ...