Rama Krishna Sangem
The four-month southwest monsoon season ended on September 30 Tuesday with India recording 8% above-normal rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, marking what its chief described as a “very successful” season despite multiple weather-related disasters.
According to IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the country received 937.2 mm of rainfall against the normal 868.6 mm. While the season brought surplus rains overall, it was also marked by cloudbursts, landslides and mudslides across several states.
East and northeast India recorded 1,089.9 mm of rainfall — 20% below the normal of 1,367.3 mm — making it the second-lowest monsoon rainfall in the region since 1901. “Rainfall over east and northeast India has been deficient in many years in recent times. There is a trend that rainfall over this region is decreasing since 2020,” Mohapatra said, citing studies that
Rainfall over the country as a whole during the 2025 southwest monsoonseason (June- September) was 108% of its long period average (LPA). Thus, the seasonal rainfall was above normal (>104% of LPA) as per the IMD forecast. All India Summer monsoon rainfall was 937.2 mm which is 5 th highest since 2001 and 38 th highest since 1901.
The southwest monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall over the monsoon core zone, which consists of most of the rain-fed agriculture regions in the country, received 122% of LPA.
10 per cent of India got more rains
Out of the 36 meteorological subdivisions, 2 subdivisions, covering 10% of the country’s total area, experienced large excess rainfall. Twelve subdivisions, constituting 35% of the area, received excess rainfall, while 19 subdivisions, representing 46%, recorded normal rainfall. The remaining 3 subdivisions,
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, and Bihar accounting for 9% of the total area, experienced deficient rainfall during the season.
Monthly rainfall over the country as a whole was 109% of LPA in June,105% in both July and August and 115% of LPA in September. • The southwest monsoon advanced over the South Andaman Sea and Nicobar Islands on 13 May 2025, nearly nine days ahead of the normal schedule. Itarrived in Kerala on 24 May 2025, ahead of the usual onset date of 1 June, and covered the entire country by 29 June 2025, earlier than the normal date of 8 July. The monsoon withdrawal began from west Rajasthan on 14 September,advancing by 3 days.
There were Seven Monsoon Depressions formed during the season, out of that one intensified n to Deep Depression Category. There were 69 Low Pressure System Days against its normal 55 days.. The seasonal forecast issued by IMD for the SW monsoon season rainfall was accurate, including the monsoon onset forecast over Kerala and ENSO and IOD.
