However, economists said it was too early to cheer the forecast as the weather department often goes off the mark, including last year when it initially predictednormal rains.
The UN has urged "all agencies" to plan for emergency assistance after weather experts predicted below-normal rainfall for Afar, saying a "major emergency" could be just weeks away.
In addition, forecasters predicted a below-normal Eastern Pacific hurricane season, with 11 to 16 named storms, including five to eight hurricanes and one to four major hurricanes.
Train company First Capital Connect said it was running a normal timetable but spokesman Roger Perkins predicted delays on Thameslink through Bedford and the Great Northern route to King's Lynn in Norfolk.