IMD Predicts Normal Monsoon This Year, 97 Percent of Average

New Delhi: India is likely to witness a normal monsoon this year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

The monsoon will be 97 per cent of long period average (LPA), which is normal for the season, IMD Director General K G Ramesh told a press conference.

He said that there was "very less probability" of a deficient monsoon.

The date of onset of monsoon will be announced in the middle of May.

The monsoon is considered normal if the average rainfall is between 96 to 104 per cent of long period average.

Anything less than 90 per cent of LPA is termed a 'deficient' monsoon, and 90-96 per cent of the same is considered 'below normal'.

The four-month monsoon season provides about 70 per cent of the country's annual rainfall.