- Southwest Monsoon rainfall deficit narrowed from 38% to 15% in one week
- Mumbai's Colaba received 1383.8 mm rain, 78.4% above normal till July 8
- Santacruz recorded 1530.2 mm rainfall, 94.4% higher than average for same period
The Southwest Monsoon has picked up pace despite El Nino concerns, with the country's rainfall deficit narrowing sharply from 38% to 15% in just one week.
In the last few days, Mumbai, Pune and several parts of Maharashtra have recorded record monsoon rains. According to the Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai's Colaba area recorded a total of 1383.8 mm of rainfall between June 1 and July 8, 2026. This is 78.4% more than normal. During the same period, Santacruz recorded 1530.2 mm of rain, which is 94.4% above the average for this period.
In fact, the monsoon situation has improved not just in Maharashtra, but also across Gujarat, Konkan and Goa, and extending to Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha over the last few days.
Because of this, the country's rainfall deficit between June 1 and July 8 has come down to 15%.
Read | Monsoon Wraps Entire India, Rain Deficit Down, Kharif Sowing Still Under Cloud
According to the India Meteorological Department, rainfall across the country was 38% below average between June 1 and July 1, 2026. But with the monsoon gaining momentum in the last one week, the deficit has narrowed by 23%.
The monsoon has gained strength at a time when there was growing concern in the country over the impact of El Nino during the Southwest Monsoon season.
Former Director General of the India Meteorological Department and noted meteorologist KJ Ramesh told NDTV: "It is not necessary that El Nino will impact rainfall throughout the monsoon. In the last few days, the effect of El Nino was not seen during this active phase of the monsoon because both the Arabian Sea and the Equatorial Indian Ocean are currently experiencing warming. This is leading to more evaporation and greater moisture flow towards India. In the last ten days, a Mid-Tropospheric Cyclone, MTC, formed due to a Western Disturbance. At the same time, a Depression formed over the Bay of Bengal. Both systems fed each other, which led to good rainfall from Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra to Odisha."
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According to KJ Ramesh, these two weather conditions offset the impact of El Nino, which helped bridge 23% of the rainfall deficit across the country in one week.
