Monsoon hope as WMO sees an El Niño counter
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) predicts a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) could develop, potentially offsetting the negative impact of El Niño on India's monsoon.
El Niño, warming of central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean surface waters, is associated with weak monsoon and harsher summer in India.
A positive IOD, which involves sea surface temperature differences between western and eastern tropical Indian Ocean, helps form stronger monsoon winds.
If positive IOD occurs, it could improve rainfall conditions in south peninsular India, which had a rainfall deficit of 22% as of Aug 1.
Positive IOD may prevent India's monsoon from slipping from 'below normal' to 'deficient' phase, though IMD noted IOD conditions are currently neutral.
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