Delhi Monsoon: 8% more rainfall despite deficit in Haryana, Punjab, report says; here’s why | Today’s news
Delhi reportedly bucked the broader monsoon rainfall trend, receiving 8% more rainfall than its seasonal normal on 16 September, even as neighboring regions experienced rainfall deficits. The unusual contrast raised the possibility that changing weather patterns associated with a strengthening El Niño along with climate change may have affected rainfall in the capital, The Times of India reported.
While Delhi recorded above-normal rainfall, its weather division Haryana received 23% less rainfall, while northwest India as a whole was 10% below normal.
The contrast becomes more pronounced when rainfall at the district level is considered. Delhi lies close to a large belt of low-rainfall districts stretching across Haryana and Punjab. Neighboring Sonipat has seen 32% less rainfall than normal, while Rohtak is at 47% deficit. Further north, Hoshiarpur received 53% less rainfall and Kapurthala faced a 69% deficiency.
More than 30 districts in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and western Uttar Pradesh have experienced significant rainfall deficits this season.
Why did Delhi remain wet despite being surrounded by areas that struggled with rain?
One possible explanation lies in the changing movement of low-pressure systems originating in the Bay of Bengal, the report said. This season, these systems seem to have followed a different trajectory, potentially influenced by El Niño conditions that brought more rainfall to Delhi-NCR.
The interaction of these systems with western disturbances may have further increased rainfall over the capital, helping Delhi emerge as an unusual pocket of above-normal rainfall amid a wider rain-deficient region.
India’s monsoon faces lingering El Niño threat as summer heatwave fears grow in 2027: Report
Meanwhile, India could face a longer disruption to its monsoon as a potentially record-breaking El Niño develops, while unusually warm Pacific Ocean temperatures are also raising fears of an exceptionally hot summer in 2027, The Telegraph reported.
The climate pattern is expected to peak sometime between late 2026 and early 2027. But scientists say its influence could continue even after the phenomenon begins to wane, as heat built up in the Pacific can take months to dissipate. This could have long-term effects on India’s monsoon, temperatures and wider weather patterns.
The outlook comes as monsoon rainfall in India is already 13% below normal, according to the report. About 40% of the country fell at least 20% below average, potentially posing a risk to agricultural production and the wider economy.
Britain’s Met Office said on Friday that the El Niño event now taking shape could become the strongest seen since the 1800s. Some projections suggest that sea surface temperatures in the Pacific could rise by more than 3C above average by late 2026 or early 2027.
“I have never seen such an intense El Niño signal in our forecasts,” Adam Scaife, head of long-range forecasting at Britain’s Met Office, said in a statement on Friday.
