70 pc chance of weak El Nino this year: Govt

Government today said there is a 70 per cent chance of weak El Nino this year and the condition will persist during the 2015 monsoon season.
"The latest outlook from various agencies indicate high probability (about 70 per cent) for weak El Nino conditions to persist during the 2015 monsoon season," Minister of Earth Sciences Y S Chowdary said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
A weak El Nino is considered favourable for the monsoon.
Though the minister said that no direct link has been established between the monsoon rainfall activity and El Nino so far, studies have shown that monsoon to be less correlated with El Nino during some periods and strongly linked during some other periods.

Citing an example, he said out of 28 El Nino years so far, seasonal rainfall deficit has only been for eight years in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
He said the Indian Meteorological Department will update its monsoon rainfall forecast for the country in June 2015.
"Thereafter monthly updates of monsoon rainfall will be issued to concerned government agencies," he said.