Monsoon pushes deeper into India, extreme rain alert for west coast, northeast
The southwest monsoon is critical for India's agriculture-dependent economy, accounting for nearly 70% of the country's annual rainfall and supporting kharif sowing
New Delhi: Conditions are favourable for the advance of southwest monsoon across large parts of central and northern India over the next three to four days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.
The weather bureau also warned of intense rainfall activity along the west coast and in the northeast, alongside continuing heatwave conditions in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
IMD said monsoon is expected to cover additional areas of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next three-four days, signaling a gradual expansion of seasonal rainfall across the country.
The southwest monsoon arrived in Kerala on 4 June, three days after its normal onset date of 1 June.
The monsoon is critical for India's agriculture-dependent economy, accounting for nearly 70% of the country's annual rainfall and supporting kharif sowing. A favourable season can boost rural demand, consumption and overall economic growth. With only around 55% of India's net sown area currently irrigated, a large share of farmland continues to depend on rainfall, making any shortfall a potential source of higher irrigation costs for farmers.
“The delayed and weak progress of this year’s southwest monsoon, driven in part by the intensifying El Niño, highlights the growing climate uncertainty facing Indian agriculture," said Sanjiv Kanwar, managing director, Yara South Asia, a fertiliser company and wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian company Yara International ASA.
“With water shortages affecting this critical sowing period, it is becoming increasingly clear that safeguarding food security and farmer livelihoods will require a stronger focus on climate-resilient farming. Building resilience against these weather-related challenges calls for a shift towards precision agriculture and balanced crop nutrition.”
Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) over the west coast, northeast India, and sub-himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during the week. "Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura during 26 June -1 July," said IMD in a statment. It also forecast isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during 27-29 June and over Assam and Meghalaya on 28 June.
Konkan and Goa are expected to receive widespread rainfall from 26 June to 1 July, while Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada are likely to witness widespread rain activity on 26 June. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are expected over Konkan and Goa and Madhya Maharashtra through 29 June, while Marathwada may experience squally winds reaching 50-60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph on 25 June.
Even as the monsoon advances, heat wave conditions remain a concern over parts of east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand over the next 2-4 days. The IMD has also warned of severe heatwave conditions in isolated pockets of east Uttar Pradesh during 26-27 June.
About the Author
Vijay C. Roy is a journalist with over 21 years of experience covering various news beats across different organisations such as Business Standard and The Tribune. In the past, he has covered beats such as finance, auto, MSME, commodities, FMCG, pharmaceutical, agriculture, IT/ITES, infrastructure and start-ups. He joined Mint in February 2025, and covers agriculture, food processing, fertilizers, environment and climate change, bringing over two decades of experience reporting on farm policy, food inflation, crop trade, and rural livelihoods.<br><br>Vijay’s areas of reporting include food security and climate change policies, focusing on their impact on different stakeholders and their implications. His expertise lies in simplifying complex agri-economic issues such as edible oil import dependence, cotton and wheat trends, fertiliser subsidies, and climate-related risks. He has covered key developments including global supply disruptions and evolving trade policies, offering both macroeconomic perspective and field-level context. Known for his credible and balanced reporting, he follows a rigorous, fact-based approach that prioritises accuracy and context. He is driven by a commitment to public interest, aiming to make critical agricultural and economic issues accessible while contributing to informed policy and industry discussions.
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