The four-month southwest monsoon season (June to September 2026) in India has entered its withdrawal phase. In June, the monsoon arrived four days late and subsequently stalled for almost three weeks. Early July rains revived hopes, but precipitation in August and September was less than satisfactory.

As a result, by the end of September, the country faced a rainfall deficit of 15%. The temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall has been uneven. Of the country’s 36 meteorological subdivisions, 19, representing 51% of the national area, recorded deficient rainfall. Even among the remaining subdivisions classified as having received ‘normal’ rainfall, some were borderline cases.

Major Agricultural Regions Face Moisture Stress

The cumulative rainfall map shows key growing areas, including Punjab, Haryana, parts of Rajasthan, parts of Gujarat (Saurashtra and Kutch), parts of Maharashtra (Marathwada), almost the whole of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, as well as Assam and the Northeast, facing varying degrees of........

© Free Press Journal