The India Meteorological Department in April forecast a below-average seasonal rainfall for India and expects 92 per cent of the seasonal average to occur during June to September. The emergence of El Niño conditions is likely to commence during the May-June period and persist till the end of the year, the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said in its monthly ENSO update issued on May 11. Under this evolving scenario, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in April forecast a below-average seasonal rainfall for India and expects 92 per cent of the seasonal average to occur during June to September. El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) — an ocean-atmospheric phenomenon observed along the equatorial Pacific Ocean. It influences the global weather and is, on many occasions, linked to below-average rainfall and extreme heat.…