Amid ongoing worries over El Nino conditions and below average monsoon in India this year, GP Sharma, President-Metrology and Climate Change Skymet asserted that it is too early assess the situation.
Speaking to NDTV Profit, Sharma acknowledged that while past trends reveal that El Nino corrupts monsoon but there have been exceptions. Concerns that “super El Niño” could severely damage India's monsoon are not completely true. He pointed out that such fears are early as June has only just begun and El Nino has not yet set in.
Sharma added that it is also early to decide whether monsoon will be weak this year or not.
"Neutral conditions are still prevailing. It is still about a month to go for El Nino to possibly set grounds over the Pacific Ocean," Sharma said, adding "I think it's we still need some time to watch at least the start of the monsoon though it is not looking very healthy."
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The India Meterological Department on Friday, May 29 said that monsoons in India will be below normal in 2026. IMD expects rainfall to be 90% below average.
In a press briefing on Long Range Forecast for Monsoon Season 2026, Ministry of Environment Secretary Dr M Ravichandran mentioned that the average monsoon rainfall during the Southwest monsoon season between June and September, 2026 is expected to be 90% of the long period average.
This comes after the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that a “super” El Nino event is likely to develop from mid-2026, raising concerns over higher global temperatures and changing rainfall patterns.
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