After unseasonal rains hit agriculture, Met to give its first forecast for monsoon today

New Delhi: The Indian Meteorological Department (Met) will announce on Wednesday its first forecast for this years monsoon.

After the recent bout of unseasonal rainfall that caused huge losses to farmers and destroyed standing crop, there are growing fears of the El Nino weather phenomenon recurring. Private forecasters have already predicted that this years rainfall will be normal with an early onset of rains. Last year the monsoon in India was below normal leading to drought in several parts of the country.

El Niño is a weather phenomenon caused by unusual warming in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in atmospheric changes, potentially leading to a poor monsoon.

Last year, IMD had forecast that rainfall in June-September monsoon season would be 95 per cent of the 50-year average, which is below normal rainfall. In its August review of the forecast, IMD cut the prediction to 87 per cent, after rainfall in June came in at the lowest in five years.

Unseasonal rains had farmers face losses worth more than 40,000 rupees per acre. They are yet to receive sufficient compensation from the government. It will be a huge blow to the farmers if the upcoming monsoon fails them.