India’s Southwest Monsoon Tracker 2026: Mumbai awaits official start; Heavy rain lashing West Bengal, Tamil Nadu | Today’s news
India’s Southwest Monsoon progresses unevenly across the country. Mumbai awaits its official start while heavy rain lashes Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Parts of central India continue to heat up under heat wave conditions. Meanwhile, a significant rainfall deficit is raising initial concerns about kharif crops and food prices.
Mumbai on Orange Alert
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued an orange alert for Mumbai on Monday, June 22. She cited the IMD’s forecast of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.
Wind speeds of 30-40 km/h were predicted in isolated places. Several areas, including Bandra East, witnessed pre-monsoon showers in the morning. Waterlogging and traffic disruptions were reported in some locations.
Read also | Mumbai Weather Today: IMD predicts thunderstorms; rain is likely to return
The onset of monsoon in Mumbai was expected on Monday or Tuesday. IMD will confirm boarding only when all required parameters are met. The Mumbai monsoon normally arrives around June 10. This year, its progress stopped due to adverse weather conditions.
Rainfall data showed sharp differences across the city. Pali Chimbai School and Supari Tank School in Bandra recorded 70 mm each. Savitribai Phule BMC School in Worli Naka recorded 61mm in one hour. The island city averaged 17mm between 6am and 7am. No major waterlogging cases were reported during this period.
Heat wave in India
IMD expects further advance of monsoons to parts of Maharashtra around June 23. Conditions are also favorable for advancing into Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar. Konkan and Goa will see intensifying rainfall between June 23 and 27. Thunderstorms with winds of up to 60 kmph are expected over Konkan and Goa.
Read also | Monsoon 2026: When will it arrive in Delhi? Will the national capital get wet?
Heat waves are causing concern in some parts of central India. Vidarbha, East Madhya Pradesh and East Uttar Pradesh are facing severe heat for 4-5 days. Chhattisgarh will face heat wave conditions for the next 3 days. Telangana remains under heat wave alert for 2 more days.
Bengal battered by heavy rain
Heavy rains lashed Kolkata and surrounding areas on Sunday, June 21. Heavy waterlogging stopped car traffic. NEET retake applicants were struggling to reach their exam centres. The local weather service has confirmed that the monsoon has advanced into West Bengal.
North Bengal faces harsher conditions than the southern districts. A red alert has been issued for Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts. Orange alerts are active for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar. Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim are bracing for extremely heavy rainfall this week.
Tamil Nadu and Goa
Heavy rain is expected over Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni and Kanyakumari. Ghat areas in Tirunelveli district are also facing heavy rainfall till Monday. Aavoor in Thiruvarur district recorded 14 cm rainfall in 25 hours. Fishermen were warned of stormy conditions over the Bay of Bengal.
Read also | Why is the Southwest Monsoon suspended? Weather experts explain
Goa received light showers on Sunday ahead of the two-day warning. The average temperature in Goa was four degrees above normal. State reservoirs currently hold enough water for about one month.
Kharif Crops
A 360 ONE Capital Research report raised concerns about agriculture. Cumulative rainfall as of June 17 was 46.2 mm against the normal of 74.3 mm. This represents a 38% deficit for the season so far. Nearly 66% of India’s districts receive poor or deficient rainfall.
Kharif sowing as of June 12 was down 3.9% compared to last year. The sowing of pulses dropped significantly by 43.2% year-on-year. Cotton planting fell by 28%. However, rice sowing increased by 28.4%, offering some relief.
Reservoir levels remain a positive factor. Live storage was 28.3% of total capacity on June 11. That’s roughly 16% above the ten-year average. The period July-August will be decisive for the overall result of the season.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
