Amarnath Sharma has waited weeks for rains to soak his parched rice paddy fields so that he can start planting. He is one of millions of farmers across India who are hoping and praying for elusive monsoon showers.

But their hopes are being dashed this season: India's Meteorological Department says it expects the country to get at least 10 percent less rain this year than normal during the June-to-September monsoon. The shortfall also is expected to swell electricity demand in a power-starved nation as farmers turn to irrigation pumps to keep their fields watered. Earlier this week, three of India's regional electricity grids failed for hours in a blackout that affected a swath of the country with about 620 million people.

In a statement late Thursday, the department said rains between June and Aug. 1 have been 19 percent below normal. The remaining August to September monsoon will also be weak because of the impact of warming of the central Pacific Ocean, known as the El Nino, the agency said.