At a Glance Monsoon rainfall is forecast to be 96- 104% of the Long Period Average (LPA), the IMD said. After recording the highest monsoon rainfall in the last 25 years during 2019, India is all set to witness a good monsoon season again this year. In its first long-range forecast for Southwest Monsoon 2020, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday predicted normal rainfall over the country as a whole from June to September. Seasonal rainfall is likely to be 100% of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of ± 5%, the IMD said. The LPA refers to the average monsoon rainfall from 1961-2010, which is 88 cm (880.6 mm to be precise). Until 2019, the LPA stood at 887.5 mm considering the average from 1951-2000. Monsoon rainfall between 96 and 104 per cent is considered as the normal monsoon. The current forecast of 100 per cent means a total of around 88 cm rainfall is likely during the monsoon months from June to September as per the first LRF. Madhavan Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) announced that quantitatively the monsoon rainfall is expected to be 100 per cent of its LPA this year. "Good news is that it is estimated that the forecast probability of deficient rainfall is 9 per cent. This forecast is based on the statistical model, and it suggests that we will have a normal monsoon," the IMD official added. (With inputs from IANS) Source – The Times of India