Monsoon season in India usually starts in June. Until September, the monsoon provides about 70 % of the annual rainfall of India. It is essential for drinking water reservoirs as well as for agriculture. The farmers' work, such as sowing seeds, depends heavily on the onset of the monsoon. Due to the regularity, times have been defined over the years when one can expect the monsoon to advance (or retreat).
Our climate diagrams display how the monsoon advances northeastwards over the months. Whereas monsoon rain will fall in southern west coast of India (Mangalore) at the beginning of June already, the monsoon hits central India in the middle of June (Pune), whereas higher precipitation amounts in the North usually start in July (New Delhi). All in all, July is the month with the highest precipitation amounts during the summer monsoon in India.
Slight fluctuations are normal, as processes leading to the monsoon are dynamic. Nevertheless, anomalous differences, suspected to be driven by global warming, have been reported in recent years. This year, June was rather dry in some districts in India: The city of Hyderabad (Telangana), for example, experienced below-average sums of rain this year, as shown in our climate comparison diagram on the one hand, and in our yearly comparison, accessible through history+, on the other.
The lack of rain in June initially led to the assumption that the El Niño weather phenomenon was already showing its effects, as it is known for weakening the formation of the Southwest Summer Monsoon in India.
But then the table started to turn: This year, as the Indian Meteorological Department confirms, the monsoon has covered the entire country of India by July 2nd 2023, which means, that the northern districts of the country experienced rain 1-2 weeks early. Our history satellite image (see first screenshot) confirms precipitation amounts in Northeast India.
While June was dry, July is now particularly wet. Currently, the monsoon is leading to heavy flooding in some places. Especially North India is particularly affected. In the district of Punjab, for example, it has been raining for 3 consecutive days. A measuring station in New Delhi recorded its highest 24-h-rainfall amount since July 25th, 1982. In the next few days, more (moderate–heavy rain) is expected. Besides the west coast of India, our precipitation map predicts rain in the districts just south of the border to Nepal and throughout the Central, (North) Eastern and, to some extent, Southern districts of India. The daily precipitation map on the left shows an example for Thursday.
So far this year, we have been seeing the monsoon's delay, uneven distribution of rain and above-average migration northwards, with above-average rainfall having almost catastrophic consequences. Complex meteorological conditions and phenomena, such as global climate change, El Niño, or even tropical storms, cause the monsoon to falter. Stay up to date with our diverse products and features - and most importantly: Stay safe!
