Overview

• IMD data show June–September rainfall at 108% of the long-period average, with all four months above normal and September about 15% higher than usual.
• Regional contrasts were stark: northwest India logged 127% of normal rain, the highest since 2001, while East and Northeast finished at 80%, the second lowest since 1901.
• Withdrawal has stalled due to active systems over the Gulf of Kutch and a new Bay of Bengal low, and forecasters say showers are likely to persist into early to mid-October.
• October rainfall is forecast to be around 15% above normal nationwide, with the Oct–Dec season likely above normal over south peninsular India and normal to below normal in parts of the northwest.
• IMD’s season-end tally reports at least 1,528 weather-related deaths, and Delhi’s sudden downpour on September 30 diverted flights and pushed October’s monthly average past its mark in a single day.