Normal monsoon likely as neutral El Niño forecast

INDIA is likely to receive normal monsoon rains this year, experts said, as the World Meteorological Department (WMO) forecast a higher possibility of neutral El Niño conditions during the upcoming season.

- JITENDRA CHOUBEY @New Delhi

El Niño, a key driver of global climatic patterns, is synonymous with weaker monsoons in India. Its reverse phenomenon, La Niña, is known for bountiful monsoons. The weak La Niña event that emerged in December 2024 is likely to be short-lived and end by May. El Niño refers to large-scale warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, while La Niña is the opposite.

"It looks like India may receive normal monsoon this year as global forecast suggests a higher probability that the neutral condition of El Niño could prevail from June to September," said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather, a private weather solution company.