Commuters move during rain in Secunderabad on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Ramakrishna G
With the southwest monsoon stalled over southern Maharashtra, India is facing a nationwide rainfall deficit of 41% between June 4 and June 18, according to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. The country has received just 42.6 mm of rainfall against the normal 72.2 mm during the above-mentioned period.
Also read: What a ‘super’ El Niño would mean for India’s monsoon
The weather department said on Thursday (June 18, 2026) that “the absence of favourable large-scale meteorological conditions” was the key reason why the southwest monsoon has failed to advance further into the remaining parts of Maharashtra in the past few days. The IMD on Thursday (June 18) forecast heavy to very heavy rain in the sub-Himalayan districts of West Bengal for the next one week, though precipitation has largely eluded the southern districts despite the monsoon having officially entered the region.
While a rainfall deficit in June, the first of the monsoon months, is not unusual, it assumes additional significance in a year that forecasters globally have warned will likely be a ‘Super El Niño’ year.
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June 19, 2026 08:38
Patchy rainfall across Karnataka
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre’s (KSNDMC) June rainfall pattern, there has been a departure of -35%. Data for June 2026 so far shows that south interior Karnataka has received 44 mm as against the normal 48 mm, a departure of -6%, while north interior Karnataka has received 53 mm against 63 mm, a departure of -16%. Malnad and the coastal regions have recorded 89 mm and 191 mm, respectively, as against the normal 178 mm and 419 mm, reflecting departures of -50% and -54%.
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June 19, 2026 08:36
Slow-moving monsoon, weak cloud cover behind June heatwave in Telangana
A week after widespread showers brought respite to Telangana including in Hyderabad, the State is once again grappling with intense heat, with several districts recording heatwave conditions even in the third week of June.
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Published - June 19, 2026 08:42 am IST
