Pune: Maharashtra ended June with only half of its normal monthly rainfall after the southwest monsoon lost momentum soon after its delayed onset, leaving all four meteorological subdivisions in deficit and most districts struggling with below-normal precipitation.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s seasonal rainfall summary for June 1-30, the state received 105.8mm of rainfall against the normal of 209.8mm, a deficit of 50%.Among the four subdivisions, Madhya Maharashtra fared the worst with a 57% rainfall deficit, receiving just 68mm against the normal 157.7mm. Konkan-Goa, which usually receives the heaviest monsoon showers, recorded a 45% deficit with 389.1mm rainfall against a normal of 701.5mm. Marathwada and Vidarbha each ended the month with a 39% rainfall deficit.The district-wise picture reflected the widespread impact of the subdued monsoon. Mumbai city recorded a below average rainfall of 19%, though considered normal as per IMD standards, while Mumbai suburban recorded a deficit of 22%.Pune district recorded a 48% rainfall deficit. Nashik (57%), Ahilyanagar (52%), Jalgaon (43%), Beed (47%), Nanded (43%), Solapur (37%), Sangli (49%), Chandrapur (37%), Nagpur (31%) and Yavatmal (30%) and Ratnagiri (40%) also remained in the deficient category.Among the districts that slipped into the large deficient category are Nandurbar (91%), Thane (75%), Gondia (74%), Satara (74%), Dhule (72%), Gadchiroli (71%) and Hingoli (63%).Only a handful of districts escaped the widespread deficit. Among them are Mumbai (city), Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Buldhana, all of which fell within the IMD’s normal rainfall category.Meteorologists attributed the poor June rainfall to a combination of delayed monsoon progress and the absence of favourable weather systems.“The monsoon onset over Kerala itself was delayed, occurring on June 4. It advanced up to Ratnagiri before remaining stagnant for nearly 12 to 13 days. Monsoon usually advances in surges. But after the initial surge this year, the subsequent surges were weak. The result was subdued rainfall activity,” said Bikram Singh, scientist and head of the IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Mumbai. He said several large-scale atmospheric features that normally strengthen the southwest monsoon remained unfavourable during most of June. “There was no significant development of cloud bands over the equatorial region, the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) remained inactive, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) stayed in an unfavourable phase for Indian rainfall, the low-level westerly winds over the Arabian Sea remained weak, and the wind shear zone failed to shift northwards from Kerala,” he added.IMD scientist Sushma Nair said the June rainfall deficit was primarily due to the weak monsoon flow over the Arabian Sea, the absence of low-pressure systems over the Bay of Bengal during the month and the lack of favourable large-scale atmospheric features, including the MJO, needed to strengthen monsoon activity.Singh said the situation began improving after June 22-23, when wind strength increased and the wind shear zone shifted northwards, allowing the southwest monsoon to rapidly advance across Maharashtra and other parts of the country within two to three days.He added, “Key monsoon features, including the offshore trough, monsoon trough, easterly jet and vertical wind shear, have now become established, unlike during the first three weeks of June. These features are now active, and therefore we expect good rainfall activity over the peninsular region and central India during the first week of July.”Singh also said the emerging El Niño likely added to the subdued monsoon conditions. Along with the delayed onset and weak monsoon circulation, it contributed to the below-normal rainfall over Maharashtra during June. July Too May Stay Drier Than NormalJuly 2026 may stay drier than normal in large parts of Maharashtra, climate model suggests. Large parts of Maharashtra could receive below-normal rainfall in July, according to the latest probabilistic monthly outlook for July 2026 released by IMD on Tuesday, raising concerns over the progress of the kharif season after an already sluggish start to the southwest monsoon.
