Monsoon to arrive late on June 4, 15% chance of drought, says Skymet

What augurs ill for the economy is that Skymet expects multiple agrarian regions to have serious shortfall in rains

The southwest monsoon will reach the coast of Kerala on June 4, three days after the normal date but within the normal range of delay, private forecaster Skymet has said.

In a situation that could add to economic worries owing to slowing rural demand and declining industrial production, it has maintained its earlier forecast and expects the rains to be poor this season — at 93 per cent of the normal.

The drought-affected regions of Marathwada and Vidarbha in Maharashtra, along with parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, will face nearly 9 per cent deficiency in the June-September rains.

Rajasthan, northern Karnataka and