Monsoon 2022: This monsoon season in the country is expected to rain more than the earlier estimates. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) gave this information on Tuesday. After this, there has been hoped for bountiful agricultural production and a check on inflation. IMD Director General Mrityunjay Mohapatra told reporters here, "The average rainfall in this monsoon season is likely to be 103 percent of the long period average."

The IMD said in April that the country would receive normal rainfall, which would be 99 per cent of the long period average, which is the average rainfall received over the 50-year period from 1971-2020. The long-term average for the entire country is 87 cm. Mohapatra said the monsoon-affected regions (states ranging from Gujarat to Odisha, which are dependent on rainfall for agriculture) are expected to have normal rainfall of over 106 per cent of the long period average.

He said that there is a possibility of above normal rainfall in central India and south peninsula, while there is a possibility of normal rain in the north-east and north-west regions. This is the fourth year in a row that India is likely to experience a normal monsoon. Earlier, normal monsoon was observed in India in 2005-08 and 2010-13.

Mohapatra said that India may see a normal monsoon in the near future, as the decade of below-normal rainfall is about to end. "We are now moving towards normal monsoon era," he said. Asked about the IMD's criticism of the IMD's "haste" in announcing the onset of monsoon in Kerala, Mohapatra said the Met Office followed a scientific procedure to announce the onset and progress of monsoon.

He stressed that 70 percent of the weather stations in Kerala had reported fairly widespread rainfall and met other criteria related to strong westerly winds and cloud formation in the region. Mohapatra said the current 'La Nina' conditions are expected to continue till August and augurs well for monsoon rains in India. 'La Nia' conditions refer to the cooling of the equatorial Pacific.

However, there is a possibility of the development of a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, which may cause below normal rainfall over the far southwest peninsula including Kerala. Mohapatra said the maximum temperature in June is likely to remain below normal in most parts of the country except Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

Releasing the updated long-term forecast for the current monsoon season, Mohapatra said, "Most parts of the country will see good rainfall." He said that the rainfall over central and peninsular India can be expected to be 106 per cent of the long period average, while the north-east region may receive below normal rainfall. The IMD had announced on 29 May that the southwest monsoon reached Kerala on Sunday, three days ahead of its normal scheduled time on June 1.