iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The southwest monsoon – crucial for the kharif crop – is likely to cover the entire country by July 6 as against the normal date of July 8, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Thursday.
After an early start, the SW monsoon had been pushing late over south peninsular India and later also over central India in absence of favorable systems. As on date, the Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) continues to pass through Porbandar, Vadodara (both in Gujarat), Shivpuri, Rewa (both in Madhya Pradesh) and Churk (Uttar Pradesh), the IMD said.
According to the IMD, the SW monsoon normally covers the entire country by July 8. However, the Extended Range Forecast (ERF) released Thursday evening said: “Southwest monsoon is likely to cover the entire country during the week June 30 till July 6.”
A senior IMD meteorologist said that there is no date, and the ERF “is just a guidance product”.
Meanwhile, the ERF mentioned that the country as a whole received excess rainfall during the meteorological forecast week that ended Wednesday.
The weekly cumulative All India Rainfall departure from its long period average (LPA) was 45 per cent with weekly cumulative over northwest India as 120 per cent, over east and northeast India 77 per cent and south peninsular India at 29 per cent. However, for central India, it was minus 2 per cent.
