Monsoon 2026 report card: 87% of normal, month by month

The 2026 southwest monsoon is over, and IMD has published its report. Here are the grades.

Overall: 87% of normal. India received 759.4 mm of rain from June to September, against a long-period average of 868.6 mm. That puts the season in IMD's deficient category (below 90%). It was the fourth lowest since 2001 and the 13th lowest since 1901.

Month by month.

• June: 65% of normal. A slow start; the monsoon reached Kerala on 4 June, three days late.
• July: 101%. The only month at normal, helped by good rain over central India.
• August: 84%. Rain faltered again across most of the country.
• September: 92%. Northwest India got heavy rain, but the south and east stayed short.

Region by region. Northwest India 94% and central India 97% ended in the normal range. East and Northeast India got only 74%, its lowest since 1901. The South Peninsula got 76%, its fourth lowest since 1901.

Beyond the averages. Of 36 meteorological subdivisions, 18 were normal, 17 deficient and one, Odisha, in excess. The monsoon core zone, where most rain-fed farming happens, got 779.9 mm, just under the lower limit of normal.

Why it matters now. A weak monsoon means lower reservoirs and groundwater going into a dry season, which is why water-saving matters this winter and summer.

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