India likely to receive above average monsoon rains in 2024, government says

India is likely to receive above average monsoon rains in 2024, the government said on Monday, a big boost for the country which depends heavily on the summer rains for its farm production.

The monsoon, which usually arrives over the southern tip of Kerala state around June 1 and retreats in mid-September, is expected to total 106% of the long-term average this year, M. Ravichandran, secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told a news conference.

The IMD defines average or normal rainfall as ranging between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the four-month season.