India's rainfall deficit at 35% as monsoon progress stalls

📌 Summary:

• India's nationwide southwest monsoon deficit reached 35% as of June 16, 2026, with the rains over a week past their normal date and clouds yet to reach Mumbai
• The monsoon's northward progress has stalled for several days over Maharashtra, the Konkan coast and adjoining central India, concentrating the shortfall there
• India Meteorological Department (IMD) regional figures: northwest India has +5% (surplus) rain, while all other regions are in deficit — east and northeast India (-43%), central India (-63%) and the southern peninsula (-14%)

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 — monsoon mechanism and climatology; links to GS3 (agriculture and food-security implications of deficient rainfall).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The southwest monsoon normally onsets over Kerala around June 1 and reaches Mumbai around June 10-11
• IMD functions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
• 'Deficient' rainfall is defined as 19-59% below the Long Period Average (LPA)

🔑 Key Term: Long Period Average (LPA) — the benchmark long-term average rainfall against which IMD measures monsoon performance.