New Delhi/MUMBAI: Monsoon rains are on track to cover the entire country within the next three to four days, well before their usual timeline, senior officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed on Thursday. The early spread is expected to benefit farmers by advancing the planting of key summer crops.
“This year, the monsoon’s progress has been swift after a brief pause,” said RK Jenamani, head of the national weather forecasting centre. “It is now reaching into parts of northwest India and will likely cover the remaining regions very soon.”
According to an IMD chart released on Thursday, rainfall has reached almost all parts of the country except some sections of Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
Traditionally, the monsoon begins in Kerala around June 1 and completes its nationwide journey by July 8.
The annual rains are crucial for agriculture sector, which supports millions of livelihoods. Nearly half of the country’s farmland relies solely on monsoon showers due to a lack of irrigation infrastructure. The rains also replenish groundwater and fill reservoirs essential for drinking water and power generation.
An IMD official noted that the improved rainfall in central and northern states this week and into the next will allow farmers to ramp up sowing activities. “Crop planting, particularly of rice, soybeans, and cotton, will pick up pace as soil moisture improves,” the official said.
Despite a 31 per cent rainfall shortfall in early June, the monsoon’s recent recovery has turned the month’s total into a 9 per cent surplus. The IMD has also projected above-average monsoon rainfall for the 2025 season, the second consecutive year with such an outlook.
Meanwhile, intense rain triggered flash floods in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the deaths of at least seven people. Authorities reported damaged infrastructure, including washed-away roads and homes. The IMD issued a red alert in three Kerala districts and warned of more downpours in Madhya Pradesh over the next 24 hours.with agency inputs