-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Raising the spectre of a second successive year of deficient rains, the India Meteorological Department has predicted below normal rainfall for the upcoming monsoon season with a 33% probability of rains being less than 90%, commonly referred to as a drought. "The monsoon seasonal rainfall is likely to be 93% of the long-period average with a model error of plus or minus 5%," said Union earth...

-Hindustan Times Some global meteorological agencies have pointed to the rising risks of an El Nino weather pattern this year which can trigger a poor monsoon in India, potentially posing an immediate challenge for the Narendra Modi government. El Nino, literally “little boy” in Spanish, is a climate phenomenon marked by higher sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. Its effects vary, from storms in California to drought in Australia and India. ...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The monsoon is likely to beat the adverse impact of an El Nino and provide normal rains in the country this year, private weather forecaster Skymet said on Thursday, in the first prediction on the 2015 rainy season by an Indian agency. About a week before the India Meteorological Department releases its first long range forecast, Skymet said it expects 102% rains during the monsoon season...

-Livemint.com Farming community is bracing itself for income loss due to lower productivity from last year's deficient rainfall as well as lower price realization in the market Last month's untimely rains have only added to the long list of problems that the Indian farmer faces. Declining global and domestic prices have already led to a crisis in the agricultural sector. The farming community is bracing itself for income loss due to lower...

-Business Standard Assocham-Skymet report, however, says untimely rain likely to reappear in north India in 5-6 weeks India's southwest monsoon, which accounts for almost 80 per cent of the country's total precipitation, is expected to be normal this year, predicts a joint study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry and private weather forecaster Skymet. However, there would be pockets where the showers are expected to be deficient. These include Himachal Pradesh,...