India's monsoon season is set for above-normal rainfall

India is likely to receive above-normal rainfall amounting to 108 per cent of the long-period average in June, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.

The weather office said the country may receive 106 per cent of the long-period average rainfall of 87 cm during the entire monsoon season.

At a press conference, M Ravichandran, Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said the monsoon core zone is expected to get above-normal rainfall (more than 106 per cent of the long-period average) this season.

The monsoon core zone includes parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and nearby areas. This region gets most of its rain during the Southwest Monsoon and depends heavily on it for agriculture.

Northwest India is likely to receive normal rainfall, while the Northeast may see below-normal rain. Central and south peninsular India are expected to record above-normal rainfall, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.