New Delhi, July 31 -- India is likely to receive below-normal rainfall during the second half of the southwest monsoon season, covering the August to September period, according to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) monthly forecast released on Friday.

The weather agency said rainfall across the country during these two months is expected to remain below 94% of the Long Period Average (LPA), indicating weaker-than-usual monsoon activity in the latter half of the season.

Based on historical rainfall data collected between 1971 and 2020, the Long Period Average for the August-September period stands at 422.8 mm across the country.

The LPA is a benchmark used by meteorologists to assess rainfall performance. It represents the ave...