Skymet lowers southwest monsoon forecast for 2018 to 'below normal'

In April, Skymet's first forecast was for a normal monsoon, at 100 per cent of the Long Period Average, with an error range of five percentage points either way

Private weather forecasting agency Skymet lowered its southwest monsoon forecast for 2018 to ‘below normal’ on Wednesday, at 92 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).

It expects a prolonged weak phase in August and lower than normal rain in September, after which the four-month season would end. If true, this would hit the production of kharif crops, sowing of which was down almost eight per cent till last week.

In April, Skymet's first forecast was for a normal monsoon, at 100 per cent of the LPA, with an error range of five percentage points either way.  For August, it had