The southwest monsoon has staged a dramatic comeback after weeks of sluggish progress, unleashing widespread rainfall across large parts of India and significantly reducing the country’s seasonal rainfall deficit.
Fresh satellite imagery from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows dense cloud bands stretching across western, central and eastern India, signalling an active phase of the monsoon.
According to the latest IMD data, India’s cumulative rainfall deficit has narrowed sharply to 28% between June 4 and July 5, compared to a deficit of nearly 45% just a week earlier.
The country has received 140.9 mm of rainfall against the normal 196.5 mm during the period, reflecting the rapid revival of monsoon activity after one of the driest starts to June in over a century.
The improvement comes as multiple weather systems, including a strengthening offshore trough along the west coast and active monsoon circulation over central India, have generated widespread rain over Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and parts of Karnataka.
Satellite images captured on Saturday morning reveal massive cloud clusters extending from the Arabian Sea into western India and another expansive rain-bearing system covering eastern and central parts of the country.
The cloud bands indicate sustained moisture transport from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, fuelling heavy rainfall over several states.
Despite the overall improvement, rainfall distribution remains uneven across the country.
Several northern and western states continue to report deficient rainfall. Maharashtra remains 25% below normal, Gujarat has recorded a 45% deficit, Uttar Pradesh is down by 48%, while Bihar has received 55% less rainfall than normal. Delhi has recorded a 50% rainfall deficit, and Punjab remains 27% below average.
The most alarming situation continues to be in the Northeast, traditionally India’s wettest region. Meghalaya has slipped into the large deficient category with rainfall nearly 66% below normal, while Assam and Arunachal Pradesh also continue to report significant deficits despite recent showers.
In contrast, several regions have now moved back into the normal rainfall category. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have witnessed substantial improvement over the past week, while Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands continue to report excess rainfall.
Meteorologists say the active monsoon phase is expected to persist over the coming days, with heavy to very heavy rainfall forecast over parts of western India, the Konkan coast, central India and the Himalayan foothills.
The latest revival offers relief after concerns that an emerging El Nino could severely weaken this year’s monsoon.
While the deficit has narrowed considerably, weather experts caution that consistent rainfall over the coming weeks will be crucial to fully offset the weak start to the season and support agriculture during the critical sowing period.
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