India likely to receive lower rains in June, monsoon to pick up in Aug-Sept, says IMD official

India is expected to receive below-average monsoon in June but rains are likely to pick up in August and September as the El Nino weather pattern is likely to fade by then, a senior weather official said on Friday.

India is likely to get good rainfall in August and September, O. P. Sreejith, a senior official of the state-run India Meteorological Department, told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference.

India's weather office defines average, or normal, rainfall as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 89 centimetres for the entire four-month season beginning June.

A strong El Nino, marked by a warming of the sea surface on the Pacific Ocean, can cause severe drought in Australia, Southeast Asia and India.

The weather office has said that monsoon rains are likely to enter India through the southern coast around June 8, delayed by nearly a week.

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