India experiences two major monsoon systems: southwest monsoon, which lasts from June to September, and northeast monsoon, also known as the retreating monsoon, which affects parts of the country from October to December
PTI Published 15.10.26, 04:25 PM
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The southwest monsoon withdrew from the entire country on Thursday, marking the onset of the northeast monsoon over parts of south India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The weather agency forecast a wet spell with isolated heavy rainfall across several parts of the southern peninsula till October 21.
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, south interior Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe witnessed northeast monsoon activity on Thursday, the IMD said.
"With the onset of the northeast monsoon, a wet spell with isolated heavy falls is likely over many parts of south peninsular India till October 21," it said in its daily forecast.
India experiences two major monsoon systems: the southwest monsoon, which typically lasts from June to September, and the northeast monsoon, also known as the retreating monsoon, which affects parts of the country from October to December.
The southwest monsoon is crucial to India's economy because of its direct impact on the kharif crop cycle. The northeast monsoon, though less intense, is significant for the growth of rabi crops.
This year's southwest monsoon ended with 759.4 mm of rainfall, 12.6 per cent below the normal of 868.6 mm, according to the IMD.
One key reason for the rainfall deficit has been the prevailing El Nino conditions over the tropical Pacific, which emerged in June and have been gaining strength since.
El Nino is one of the three phases of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a climate phenomenon characterised by changes in sea temperatures along the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, accompanied by fluctuations in the atmosphere overhead.
El Nino is associated with reduced monsoon rainfall in India and a warming effect on the planet, while its opposite phase, La Nina, usually has a cooling effect. ENSO also has a neutral phase.
Global weather agencies, including the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), have forecast that this year's El Nino event is likely to peak in December 2026 and could become the strongest since observations began in 1950. The El Nino conditions are also expected to persist through February 2027.
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