{"id":77394,"date":"2026-06-19T18:17:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=77394"},"modified":"2026-06-19T18:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:49:15","slug":"weather-systems-indian-monsoon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-06-2026\/weather-systems-indian-monsoon","title":{"rendered":"Five Weather Systems Impacting Indian Monsoon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Climatology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s southwest monsoon <strong>may remain weak or stalled for a week,<\/strong> with <strong>five rain-suppressing factors active at the same time.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India recorded a <strong>38% countrywide rainfall deficit<\/strong> between June 1 and June 17, with <strong>central India facing the highest deficit at 62%.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Five rain-suppressing factors are: <\/strong>Developing El Ni\u00f1o conditions, weak Madden-Julian Oscillation activity, dry westerly winds, a weak Somali Jet and neutral Indian Ocean Dipole conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d3cecd\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"438\" height=\"429\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-152.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-77398\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d3cecd; width:364px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-152.png 438w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-152-300x294.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Southwest Monsoon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Onset and Retreat:<\/strong> The monsoon season in India generally <strong>starts in early June and lasts until September.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The onset of the monsoon is marked by the arrival of the <strong>southwest monsoon winds,<\/strong> which bring moisture-laden air from the Indian Ocean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The withdrawal or retreat of the monsoon typically <strong>begins in October.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The northeast monsoon, <\/strong>occurring from October to December, brings rainfall to parts of southern India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f0edee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"389\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-150.png\" alt=\"southwest monsoon\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-77396\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0edee; width:341px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-150.png 389w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-150-300x206.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 389px) 100vw, 389px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Factors Impacting Monsoon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>El Nino<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>El Ni\u00f1o means <strong>Little Boy<\/strong> in Spanish. It is a climate phenomenon characterized by the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>During El Ni\u00f1o, <strong>trade winds weaken.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas and as a result <strong>cold water is pushed towards Asia.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cde0ea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-151.png\" alt=\"el nino\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-77397\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cde0ea; width:469px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-151.png 720w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-151-300x188.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Impact of El Nino on weather patterns: <\/strong>It leads to rise in global temperature, weakens monsoon, increases risk of wildfires and triggers extreme weather events such as hurricanes, and cyclones, particularly in the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The MJO is a moving system of <strong>winds, clouds, and pressure<\/strong> that brings rain as it circles around the equator. It was discovered in <strong>1971<\/strong> by <strong>Roland Madden and Paul Julian.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The system travels eastward at<strong> 4\u20138 m\/s <\/strong>and circles the globe typically every 30\u201360 days, though it can take up to <strong>90 days.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As it moves, strong MJO activity often <strong>splits the planet into two parts <\/strong>\u2014 one in which the MJO is in <strong>active phase<\/strong> and brings rainfall, and the other in which it suppresses rainfall.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>During an active MJO phase, regions within its influence experience above-average rainfall, often due to increased <strong>cloud formation, convection, and cyclonic activity.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"eef0f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"610\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-149.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-77395\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eef0f0; width:532px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-149.png 610w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-149-300x203.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Western Disturbance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Western Disturbance (WD) is an <strong>extra-tropical weather system<\/strong> that originates outside India and moves from west to east, bringing rain, snowfall, and storms to northern parts of the Indian subcontinent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Origin and Formation: <\/strong>Western disturbances originate over the <strong>Mediterranean region, Black Sea, or Caspian Sea.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They form when <strong>cold polar air interacts with warmer, moist air,<\/strong> creating <strong>low-pressure systems.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These systems are carried eastward by westerly winds in the upper atmosphere, particularly the subtropical westerly jet stream.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Indian Ocean Dipole:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 1999, N H Saji of Japan discovered an<strong> ENSO-like phenomenon in the Indian Ocean<\/strong> which they named the<strong> Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Like ENSO, IOD also has <strong>three phases\u2014positive, negative and neutral.<\/strong> During the positive phase of IOD, sea surface temperatures are warmer in the western Indian Ocean which gives a boost to monsoon winds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The reverse happens during IOD negative and no gradient is observed during the IOD neutral period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Somali Jet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a fast moving inter hemispheric cross equatorial flow of air which originates <strong>near Mauritius and the northern part<\/strong> of <strong>Madagascar in the southern Hemisphere.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The winds cross the Equator and move along the eastern<strong> coast of Africa through Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>During May, the <strong>jet moves into the Arabian Sea, <\/strong>and by <strong>June it reaches the west coast of India.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As it travels<strong>, it carries a large amount of moisture (water vapour) <\/strong>from the ocean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>When the Somali Jet becomes stronger,<\/strong> it brings heavier and <strong>more reliable monsoon rainfall to Peninsular India.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/climate-change\/indias-monsoon-has-hit-a-pause-with-five-weather-systems-working-against-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India\u2019s southwest monsoon may remain weak or stalled for a week, with five rain-suppressing factors active at the same time. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India recorded a 38% countrywide rainfall deficit between June 1 and June 17, with central India facing the highest deficit at 62%. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Five rain-suppressing factors are: Developing El Ni\u00f1o conditions, weak Madden-Julian Oscillation activity, dry westerly winds, a weak Somali Jet and neutral Indian Ocean Dipole conditions. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-06-2026\/weather-systems-indian-monsoon \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77394"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77402,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77394\/revisions\/77402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}