Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
After nearly two weeks of stagnation, India’s southwest monsoon is finally showing signs of life. Moisture-laden winds from the Arabian Sea have begun pushing into Mumbai, its suburbs and parts of southeast Gujarat, raising hopes that the long-awaited revival of rainfall may finally be underway.
But even as rain returns, the damage from one of the weakest June monsoons in recent memory has already been done. Experts have pegged June 2026 as the driest in over a century.
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According to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the country has received just 53.1 mm of rainfall between June 4 and June 22 against a normal of 97.6 mm, leaving India with a rainfall deficit of 46 per cent. Large parts of central, northern and peninsular India continue to remain in the deficient or large-deficient rainfall category.
The state-wise rainfall map paints a worrying picture. Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India’s monsoon core zone, is running a 58 per cent deficit, while Maharashtra has recorded a 85 per cent shortfall.
Gujarat remains 84 per cent below normal, one of the worst-hit states in the country. Chhattisgarh is down 71 per cent, while Jharkhand has a deficit of 71 per cent and Meghalaya 81 per cent.
The satellite imagery released by IMD on June 22 reveals the reason behind the prolonged dry spell. For days, cloud activity remained concentrated over the Bay of Bengal, eastern India and the Himalayan region, while large swathes of central and western India remained largely cloud-free.
The absence of organised monsoon systems and weak moisture transport prevented the rain-bearing currents from advancing inland.
Meteorologists now say conditions are gradually changing.
Deep-layer monsoonal moisture has begun reaching Mumbai and adjoining regions. Moist winds are also spreading into south Gujarat, including the Surat region. Weather maps indicate strengthening moisture transport at mid-levels of the atmosphere, a key signal that the Arabian Sea branch of the monsoon is regaining strength.
As a result, rainfall activity is expected to increase gradually over the next 24 to 48 hours across parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat and central India.
However, the revival comes after a prolonged delay. Weather experts note that June 2026 is shaping up to be one of the driest June periods in more than a century of recorded observations, with rainfall deficits approaching levels seen only during major drought years.
The weak monsoon has already impacted sowing activities, increased heat stress and raised concerns about water availability in several states. Farmers across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have been waiting for sustained rainfall to begin large-scale kharif planting.
The coming week will therefore be crucial. While the monsoon appears to be moving again, it now faces the difficult task of making up for a massive rainfall deficit accumulated during the most important phase of the season.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
