New Delhi, April 15: Monsoon in India in the year 2020 is expected to be normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday. This year, rainfall is set to hit Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on June 1, thus marking the beginning of monsoon season in the country. In its weather bulletin, the IMD stated that southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall from June to September in India is likely to be normal (96-104%). The southwest monsoon season first hits the southern tip of Kerala usually in the first week of June and retreats from Rajasthan by September. India Likely to Have Normal Monsoon Rainfall This Year, Says IMD.

This year, monsoon is expected to hit Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram on June 1 while in several other states, rainfall would witness a delay. In states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Telegana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and parts of Uttar Pradesh, monsoon will be delayed by 3-7 days compared to the existing normal dates. Meanwhile, the monsoons are expected to withdraw in south India on October 15.

The IMD said that it will issue the updated forecasts in the last week of May or by first week of June 2020 as a part of the second stage monsoon forecast. The sea surface temperature (SST) conditions over the Pacific and Indian Oceans are known to have strong influence on Indian monsoon. Secretary of Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. M. Rajeevan informed that Neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are prevailing over the Pacific Ocean and Neutral Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) conditions are prevailing over the Indian Ocean.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 15, 2020 08:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).