India Monsoon Rain Outlook Issued
May 01, 2012; 5:53 AM
Indian government forecasters have called for near-normal rainfall in their preliminary outlook for the upcoming summer monsoon.
Rainfall for the four months of June through September was forecast to be near normal, or 96-104 percent of average, for India as a whole, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a news release this week.
In addition, rainfall was forecast to average 99 percent of the national average amount, which is 89 cm (35 inches), the IMD said.
Summer rains on the Indian subcontinent are dependent upon the southwest monsoon, which dominates weather patterns in the region from June to September.
IMD forecasters cited the weakening La Nina as a key factor in their outlook, as well as the forecast for "neutral conditions" (neither La Nina nor El Nino) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean during the forecast period.
Rainfall during the four summer months is essential to livelihoods in most of India and the subcontinent as a whole. The state of economies can hang on a departure in rainfall above or below normal.