The national government did not carry out an environmental impact assessment before dredging sand in the Indian Ocean at the South Coast, a lobby has said.

Dr Suryachandra Rao, Associate Mission Director, Monsoon Mission, at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), explains a key atmosphere-ocean phenomenon.

Private forecasters are counting on temperature changes in the Indian Ocean to strengthen the monsoon current like it did in 1997, when rainfall was normal, despite a strong El Nino.

The weather office revised its southwest monsoon forecast to 88 per cent of average rainfall with the El Nino effect apparently having taken hold, presenting the Narendra Modi government with a cha

Monsoon watchers are scanning the Indian Ocean for any sign that could potentially reduce the impact on seasonal rains from a raging El Nino away in the equatorial Pacific.

The monsoon is likely to arrive in Kerala on May 30 -as predicted by India Meteorological Department -but it may be weak because of El Nino's impact, IMD scientists have indicated.

Prospects are firming that the latest El Nino event may leave much of Australia drier, with conditions in the Indian Ocean possibly reinforcing those in the Pacific, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Why this weird weather?

The world’s oceans are playing a game of hot potato with the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions.

The monsoon is likely to hit India two days ahead of its normal onset date, the India Meteorological Department announced on Thursday even as the possibility of below-par rainfall grew, with both I