Indian Monsoon

Sub-par monsoon not a crisis; agriculture has shown resilience: Chand

Former NITI Aayog member and noted agriculture economist Ramesh Chand says India is better prepared to handle rainfall variability than in the past

Above-normal heatwave days likely in parts of India in May, says IMD

Monsoon may arrive over Andaman and Nicobar Islands around May 14-16: IMD

Heatwaves, weak monsoon and oil surge may push India's inflation higher

This year's adverse weather conditions will likely push inflation above 5 per cent in the fiscal year beginning April 1, exceeding the RBI's projection of 4.6 per cent

Why monsoon-dependent India still struggles to scale micro irrigation

IMD's weak monsoon forecast revives a key question why India's push for drip and sprinkler irrigation has not translated into widespread adoption despite years of policy support

Has India's farm output finally become less dependent on the monsoon?

As India faces a below-normal monsoon forecast for 2026, improved irrigation, resilient seeds and policy support have strengthened farm output, though regional risks and inflation concerns persist

Best of BS Opinion: West Asia risks, RBI stance, AI, GDP debate

From West Asia tensions and RBI policy signals to AI in drug trials, fiscal risks, GDP debates and India-China strategy, today's BS Opinion offers a wide-ranging view of key economic and geopolitical

Datanomics: Met accuracy improves; farm GVA shifts slightly from crops

Improving monsoon forecasts and a gradual shift from crops to livestock are reducing agriculture's direct impact on India's overall economic growth

Southwest monsoon season rainfall likely to be below normal, says IMD

India is likely to receive 80 cm of rainfall during the season - the long period average (1971-2020) of the seasonal rainfall over India is 87 cm

Monsoon 2026 to be 6% below normal, July-September rains weak: Skymet

Private forecaster Skymet pegs 2026 monsoon at 94 per cent of LPA, with El Nino impact likely to drag rainfall below normal and key kharif months turning weak

Skymet says El Nino might strengthen in middle of Indian monsoon this year

Private forecaster warns evolving El Nino could suppress monsoon rainfall, raise heatwave risks and impact farm output, with models pointing to a peak in winter

Coal India production drops 3.7% in Apr-Nov FY26, first dip in six years

Coal India's output fell to 453.5 million tonnes in April-November FY26, the first comparable-period decline in at least six years, hurt by monsoon disruption and land issues

Fertiliser imports likely to jump 41% in FY26 on strong monsoon demand: FAI

India's fertilizer imports are estimated to jump 41 per cent to 22.3 million tonnes in the 2025-26 fiscal year due to a surge in domestic demand following good monsoon rains, the Fertilizer Association of India (FAI) said on Tuesday. The world's second-largest fertilizer consumer has imported 14.45 million tonnes during April-October, up nearly 69 per cent from 8.56 million tonnes a year earlier, the industry body said. "There has been an increase in imports of fertilizers because of a sudden spurt in domestic demand because of good rains," FAI Chairman S Shankarsubramanian told reporters ahead of the association's three-day annual seminar. Fertilizer stocks stood at 10.2 million tonnes by end-November versus 9.97 million tonnes a year earlier, including 5 million tonnes of urea, 1.7 million tonnes of DAP and 3.5 million tonnes of NPK fertilizers, he said. Shankarsubramanian, who is also managing director of Coromandel International, said India has contracted large volumes in the l

Climate disasters killed 80K, hit 1.3 billion in India since 1995: Report

India ranks ninth globally among countries most impacted by climate disasters over the past three decades, with nearly 430 extreme weather events killing more than 80,000 people, according to a new report. The Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026 released by the environment think tank Germanwatch at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, on Tuesday said climate disasters affected 1.3 billion people and caused economic losses worth almost USD 170 billion from 1995 to 2024. The report said the country's losses stemmed largely from repeated floods, cyclones, droughts and heat waves that have intensified with global warming. Events such as the 1998 Gujarat cyclone, the 1999 Odisha super cyclone, the 2013 Uttarakhand floods and recent deadly heat waves are among those that contributed to India's high ranking on the index, it said. The report said India's situation represents a "continuous threat" rather than isolated disasters, as recurring weather extremes have steadily eroded development gains and undermin

Heavy rains raise levels of dams, trigger mudslides in parts of Kerala

Heavy rains continued to lash parts of Kerala on Saturday leading to rise in water level of dams in Palakkad, Idukki and Thrissur districts. The rains also led to minor mudslides in parts of rural areas of Thiruvananthapuram district, causing damage to homes. Water levels in Walayar, Malampuzha, Moolathara, and Chuliyar in Palakkad dams approached their maximum storage capacities, prompting authorities to open the shutters by several centimetres. Water levels reached the 'red alert' status in various dams, including Ponmudi and Madupetty, in Idukki and 'orange alert' status in Sholayar dam in Thrissur. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department informed that it would be releasing surplus water from the Periyar Dam. It said that two radial surplus shutters of Periyar dam R2 and R3 will be opened to one meter by 12 noon and five vertical surplus shutters V1, V2, V3, V4 and V5 will remain open at 1.5 meters The present discharge of water from the dam is 1780 cusecs (Cubic

Southern dams fill as heavy rains lash TN; Chennai sees continued downpour

Heavy rain lashed many parts of Tamil Nadu, with the southern districts experiencing intense showers on Saturday as the rainfall activity gained momentum following the onset of Northeast Monsoon. The reservoirs in the south received copious inflows while in Chennai, the moderate to heavy rain since October 17, caused sudden inundation in certain places. According to the weather office, the Northeast Monsoon set in over Tamil Nadu on October 16. Moderate to heavy rains were expected in areas along the Western Ghats and southern districts, while coastal regions, including Chennai, will continue to receive moderate showers, it said. The upper air cyclonic circulation over the Southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Lakshadweep area persisted over the same region and under its influence, a low pressure area is likely to form over Southeast Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep area. As a result, Tamil Nadu is likely to experience moderate to heavy rain till October 22. Rain pounded Kanyakumari, ...

Widespread rains expected in TN, Pondy; heavy rain alert for 4 districts

The Regional Meteorological Centre here has predicted widespread light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry due to the influence of an upper air cyclonic circulation. Over the next 24 to 48 hours, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Theni and Tenkasi districts are expected to receive heavy showers. Palar Anicut in Ranipet district, Ayinkudi in Pudukottai, Tenkasi, Ammundi in Vellore district received the highest amount of rainfall recording 8 cm each in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said on Tuesday. Rameswaram, Vadapudupattu district in Tirupathur, Sivagiri (Tenkasi), Sivaganga district, Tondiarpet (Chennai) Bodinaickanur (Theni) MGR Nagar in Chennai received 1 cm of rainfall each in the last 24 hours. In Chennai and its neighbourhood, the bulletin said the sky condition is likely to be partly cloudy. "Light or moderate rain with Thunderstorm and Lightning is likely to occur in some areas," the bulletin added.

Bengaluru faces severe waterlogging, traffic snarls after overnight rains

Overnight rains accompanied by thunderstorms led to severe waterlogging and traffic congestion across several parts of Bengaluru, with Rainbow Layout, Pioneer Lake Residency, and Anekal among the worst-affected areas, officials said. Waterlogging was also reported in Neeladri Nagar (Electronic City), Indiranagar, HSR Layout, and along the Outer Ring Roadone of the city's busiest IT corridors. In several places, vehicles were seen navigating through knee-deep water. Speaking to reporters, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said, "There were rains last night and our officials were alert. No major incidents have been reported. However, there are reports of waterlogging in some parts. Our officials are alert and are on the job." A huge tree was uprooted in the 3rd Block of Basaveshwaranagar on Friday night, damaging at least two parked vehicles. However, no injuries were reported, officials added. Neighbouring districts, including Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Mysuru, Mandya, and

Vaishno Devi pilgrimage resumes after three-day suspension in J&K

The pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district resumed Wednesday morning after remaining suspended for three days owing to inclement weather, officials said. The traffic on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway was also partially allowed after a day-long suspension, while all government and private schools reopened in Jammu and elsewhere after two days' closure, the officials said. A spokesman of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board said the pilgrimage to the shrine restarted with the opening of all registration counters around 6 am on Wednesday. The pilgrimage is progressing smoothly with hundreds of devotees leaving base camp Katra for the shrine. The yatra to the shrine was suspended along with Machail Mata yatra in Kishtwar district on October 5 to 7 following prediction of widespread rainfall in the plain and snowfall in the high altitude areas. Machail Mata yatra also resumed this morning with the improvement in the

Rain lashes Delhi-NCR, IMD issues yellow alert for thunderstorms, winds

Rain lashed parts of Delhi-NCR on Monday morning, bringing relief from the hot and humid conditions that had persisted over the past several days. The national capital has been witnessing unusually high temperatures through September and early October. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 20.6 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average. The maximum temperature on Sunday was 34.1 degrees Celsius. Rainfall was recorded at several stations in the city. Safdarjung, the city's base observatory, logged 10.3 mm of rain till 8:30 am, while Lodhi Road received 13.2 mm, Palam 4.6 mm, Ridge 8.2 mm, and Ayanagar 5.4 mm during the same period, IMD data showed. The weather office has forecast a partly cloudy sky during the day, with the maximum temperature is likely to settle around 29 degrees Celsius. It predicted light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) through the

Four places in Odisha receive extremely heavy rainfall of above 20 cm: IMD

Four places in Odisha recorded extremely heavy rainfall of above 20 cm during the last 24 hours under the impact of the deep depression, the IMD said on Friday. The highest rainfall of 352 mm was recorded at Thuumual Rampur in Kalahandi district, followed by R Udaygiri and Gumma in Gajapati district, receiving 291 mm and 211 mm of rain respectively, while Junagarh in Kalahandi recorded 210 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am on Friday, it said. Ten places in the state have also recorded very heavy rainfall of 12 cm to 20 cm, and 42 places reported heavy rainfall of 7 cm to 11 cm during the period, the IMD said. The IMD has forecast rainfall activities for the entire state and earmarked Sundergarh district under 'Orange' alert of heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorm with lightning accompanied by gusty surface wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph on Friday. The IMD in its latest bulletin said that the deep depression over Odisha moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 10 kmph and weake