Cloudy with a chance of debate: Making of a 'normal' monsoon in India

CHASING THE CLOUDS: Timeliness, distribution, and spread of this complex weather pattern are critical to farm output and economic growth

The great debate on monsoon predictions has been soaking up headlines of late. Even as it seeks to dispel clouds of uncertainty over its arrival, monsoon chasers and weathermen can all agree on the complexity of this weather pattern.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) sought to calm nerves about food supplies when it forecast a ‘normal’ monsoon for the June-September period at 96 per cent of the long period average (LPA).

IMD’s first monsoon forecast for the year came close on the heels of private weather forecasting agency Skymet predicting a ‘below-normal’ monsoon at 94 per cent of LPA.

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