New Delhi: An "absolutely normal" monsoon for the country was today (April 15, 2004) forecast by the weather department this year from June to September.

"This year our scientific models have given the rare figure of 100 per cent of the average rainfall for the monsoon season," IMD Director General S K Srivastava told reporters.

"The forecast is based on the newly-adopted eight-parameter model, which indicates that the country as a whole is likely to get 100 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of plus, minus five per cent," he said.

During a normal monsoon, the country gets a rainfall of 88 cm. Last year the country had received 102 per cent of this normal figure, Srivastava said.

There are only meagre chances of rainfall being below normal, he said, adding the probability of rainfall being deficient, that is less than 90 per cent of LPA, is only four per cent.

Similarly, the probability of excess rainfall (more than 110 per cent of LPA) is also only four per cent, he said.