India is expected to receive 90% of its normal monsoon rainfall this year, with heat waves forecasted to hit several regions, the weather department said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) revised its earlier forecast, predicting below-normal monsoon rains in many parts of the country, except for northeast India.
Regions such as northwest, central, and south peninsular India are likely to experience below-normal monsoon rains, while above-normal heat wave days are expected in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
The fresh forecast carries significant economic implications for India, which is heavily reliant on agriculture, with 51% of its farmed area being rain-fed.
The last time India received below-normal rain was in 2023, also an El Nino year, when rainfall over the country as a whole during monsoon season was 94% of its LPA.
