The June-September monsoon has so far delivered 1 per cent higher rainfall than average

Monsoon rains in India were 35 per cent above average in the week ended July 6, the weather office said on Thursday.

The pickup in monsoon rains in the first week of July compensated for lower rainfall in June.

The June-September monsoon has so far delivered 1 per cent higher rainfall than average. The monsoon rains have covered almost the entire country, and expected to quicken the planting of summer crops such as rice, soybeans, cotton and pulses.

Though the monsoon arrived in India on June 8, a week later than usual, the weather office expects it to deliver surplus rainfall.

Image: Commuters on their vehicles move through an underpass during a heavy shower in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters