Rain in the June-September season will be 87 per cent of the long-period average, compared with 93 per cent forecast in June, Ajit Tyagi, director general at India Meteorological Department said. Rainfall could be 4 per cent more or less than the estimate, he said.
Southwest monsoon hit Kerala on Friday marking the start of the rainy season, four days after its normal onset date.
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The outlook of a negative growth in agriculture comes on the back of the Indian Meteorological Department's revised rainfall forecast and uncertain impact of mitigants such as ground water harvesting and modification of cropping patterns.
The powerful cyclone, strongest to hit India in 20 years, made landfall at around 8 am in India's eastern state of Odisha, killing at least 12 people.
Monsoon rains are vital for 55 per cent of the country's farmlands that lack irrigation facilities.
An earthquake of mild intensity rocked Srinagar and adjoining areas early on Thursday, forcing people to rush out of their homes in panic.This was the fifth earthquake of mild intensity to hit Srinagar since February 20. the epicenter of the 3.9 magnitude earthquake was at 34.1 Latitude (North) and 74.6 Longitude (East). There was no report of any loss of life or damage to property, official sources said.
The Indian Meteorological Department announced that conditions are favourable for further advancement of monsoon to some parts of southwest Bay of Bengal
The 126.6 mm rainfall that the city received in the 12-hour period from 8.30 am to 8.30 pm on Monday exceeded the 114.5 mm it got on July 30, 2016, and July 21, 2015's meagre record of 61 mm.
"It happens that there is a break in the rainfall pattern," says BP Yadav, who crunches the relevant numbers at the Indian Meteorological Department in New Delhi.
An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit the Andaman Sea on Thursday but the Met department ruled out tsunami.
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The announcement by IMD brought in all round cheer, especially among farmers of Tamil Nadu, who have been facing three consecutive years of drought and also those in this water-starved metropolis.
The cyclonic circulation over southwest bay off south Tamil Nadu persists and now lies between 2.1 and 5.8 km above sea level.
The four major earthquakes in the past one year, including the one that triggered the tsunami, were due to the seismic activity in the same plate boundary.
Delhiites were spared by fog for the second day on Wednesday as the minimum temperature in the capital hovered around the seven degree Celsius mark.
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The tremor, measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, occurred at 2040 hours IST.
The epicentre of the earthquake lay in India-Pakistan border region of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Centre had issued the warnings across the Indian Ocean after a massive earthquake, measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale, off the Indonesian coast.
The aftershock recorded at 12.58 PM was had its epicentre at a latitude of 34.8 degree north and longitude 73.8 degree east.
In Pune temperatures in the last two days have been hovering around 40 degree Celsius.
Meanwhile, aftershocks of moderate intensity continued to rock the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
With the monsoon continuing its northward advance, the weather department is expecting its onset in Delhi within the next five days.
"Seventeen states, including the national capital, are rain deficient, while two states fall in the scanty rainfall category. The rest have witnessed good rainfall," IMD Director Dr S K Subramaniam said.
The department said Marathwada, Central Maharashtra and Central India will benefit the most.
'Monsoon today advanced into remaining parts of coastal Karnataka and sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim,' B P Yadav, director, Indian Meteorological Department, said.
The Met department has revised the drought possibility from 21 per cent to six per cent.
Many parts of the country have received good rainfall and others, including the capital where the monsoon has not moved in so far, woke up to pre-monsoon showers on Wednesday.
Flood victims have been fighting for survival and living in temporary shelters nearby railway tracks with lack of food items. They are yet to get any help from the government, reports M I Khan.
"Conditions are favourable for the onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala and its further advance into some more parts of south Arabian sea, remaining parts of Maldives - Comorin area, some parts of Tamil Nadu and some more parts of Bay of Bengal during the next 24 hours," said a statement by the Indian Meteorological Department.
Air services were disrupted for a few hours. Train services continued to be disrupted due to foggy conditions in north India, with as many as six trains cancelled and many delayed by several hours.
The Indian Meteorological Department stated on Friday that 75 such tremors have been recorded since the December 26 earthquake.
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