Considering the importance of the southwest monsoon for the country, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has proposed National Mission on Monsoon to develop most representative and advanced dynamic model framework for India for forecasting monsoon rainfall and its variability in various space and time scales.

This year's south-west monsoon will be normal, says the India Meteorological Department in a forecast issued recently. But that is also what the IMD predicted last April for the 2009 monsoon, which then turned out to be a severe drought. This time the odds favour the IMD forecast being correct.

BHUBANESWAR: With mercury rising across the State and the Indian Meteorological Department citing strong wind from Rajasthan for the heatwave like condition, are there other factors contributing to the phenomenon? While experts feel that it could be part of the entire global warming effects, others feel that there could be local reasons to this.

There is good news for those reeling under a heat wave. The four-month monsoon season beginning June is likely to bring normal rainfall to the country, and provide huge relief to the government.

THE monsoon forecast by India

JORHAT, April 20: While the rest of the country is reeling under a sweltering heat wave, the rain gods seem to have smiled down on the Northeast by keeping temperatures down. The recent rains have taken Assam from a 30 per cent rainfall-deficit State prior to March 19, 2010 to a 64 per cent excess-rainfall State post March 29, last, till date.

Third consecutive season of crop loss for farmers; agriculture dept prepares relief plan

Yet another season of dejection stares at the farmers here as they prepare to harvest the Rabi crop, which has been badly hit by drought. According to estimates of the agriculture department, the production is likely to dip between 35 and 40 per cent as compared to what was expected.

The volcanic ash cloud over Europe has now got India

Rising temperatures and inadequate rainfall in India is stagnating grain output, threatening food security in the world

Vinson Kurian

How are western disturbances, currently busy creating weather over northwest India, positioned relative to the track of the volcanic cloud originating from Iceland?