{"id":86069,"date":"2026-10-01T17:23:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T11:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=86069"},"modified":"2026-10-01T17:25:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T11:55:20","slug":"southwest-monsoon-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-10-2026\/southwest-monsoon-2026","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Monsoon Ends with 12% Deficit"},"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>As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) India\u2019s 2026 southwest monsoon ended with 759.4 mm of rain, 12.6% below the 868.6 mm normal.<\/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>This is the <strong>lowest rainfall recorded during the monsoon season since 2015<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The east and northeast region, which recorded 1,017.1 mm of rainfall, had its <strong>driest monsoon since 1901<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Monsoon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The monsoon is a<strong> seasonal reversal of winds<\/strong> because of <strong>differential heating and the resulting pressure differences<\/strong> between land and sea.<\/li>\n\n\n\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.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The northeast monsoon is key for<strong> Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, and Yanam<\/strong> in southern India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Northeast monsoon is also known as the <strong>winter monsoon, retreating monsoon, or reverse monsoon.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Factors Affecting Indian Monsoon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>El Ni\u00f1o: <\/strong>El Ni\u00f1o means &#8220;<strong>Little Boy&#8221;<\/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, <\/strong>and 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\/10\/image-7.png\" alt=\"El Ni\u00f1o\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-86071\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cde0ea; aspect-ratio:1.6000862136531075;width:638px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-7.png 720w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-7-300x188.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 Ni\u00f1o on weather patterns: <\/strong>It leads to a rise in global temperature, weakens the monsoon, increases the risk of wildfires, and triggers extreme weather events such as hurricanes and cyclones, particularly in the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO): <\/strong>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>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\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\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\/10\/image-8.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-86072\" style=\"--dominant-color: #eef0f0; aspect-ratio:1.4770534599523286;width:560px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-8.png 610w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-8-300x203.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Western Disturbance: <\/strong>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.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Origin and Formation: <\/strong>Western disturbances originate over the <strong>Mediterranean region, Black Sea, or the Caspian Sea.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\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\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Ocean Dipole: <\/strong>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\n\n\n<li><strong>Somali Jet<\/strong>: It is a fast-moving interhemispheric, 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<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Monsoons &amp; the Economic Life in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Multiplier effect: <\/strong>Agricultural prosperity in India depends very much on timely and adequately distributed rainfall.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The success or failure of the monsoon directly shape<strong>s livelihoods at a national scale.<\/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=\"b5f2e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"596\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-6.png\" alt=\"Multiplier effect\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-86070\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b5f2e6; aspect-ratio:3.7964566537274806;width:544px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-6.png 596w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-6-300x79.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Crop Diversity Advantage: <\/strong>Different rainfall zones allow India to cultivate a diversity of crops that few countries can match \u2014 a direct product of the monsoon&#8217;s geographic spread.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Growth :\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4e2f8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"621\" height=\"273\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-9.png\" alt=\"economic growth\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-86073\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4e2f8; aspect-ratio:2.2747982370785875;width:562px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-9.png 621w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-9-300x132.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Indian monsoon isn\u2019t just an <strong>important geographical phenomenon<\/strong>; it holds <strong>great economic value as well.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>About 64% of people in India depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and agriculture itself is dependent on the southwest monsoon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A good monsoon raises <strong>agricultural production, aids GDP growth, and drives up rural earnings and consumption.<\/strong> Thus, it has been called the lifeline of the Indian economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/southwest-monsoon-ends-with-12-deficit\/article71529423.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) India\u2019s 2026 southwest monsoon ended with 759.4 mm of rain, 12.6% below the 868.6 mm normal.  <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> \u00a0This is the lowest rainfall recorded during the monsoon season since 2015. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The east and northeast region, which recorded 1,017.1 mm of rainfall, had its driest monsoon since 1901. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/01-10-2026\/southwest-monsoon-2026\" 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-86069","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\/86069","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=86069"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86077,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86069\/revisions\/86077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}