India logs fifth driest June, rainfall 40% below avg

India has recorded one of its driest Junes in more than a century, with rainfall for the month falling nearly 40 percent below the long-term average, according to data released by the India Meteorological Department on Tuesday, June 30. The weak start to the vital southwest monsoon season has delayed crop planting and raised concerns over water security and economic growth.

The country received 99.5 millimeters of rainfall in June, sharply lower than the normal level of 165.3 millimeters, marking the fifth-driest June since nationwide records began in 1901 and the driest in over a decade. The shortfall was driven by a delayed onset and a sluggish advance of the seasonal rains, which arrived over Kerala three days later than usual and then stalled for nearly two weeks across key western agricultural regions.

The rainfall deficit has severely impacted agriculture at a crucial time for planting summer-sown, or kharif, crops such as rice, corn, cotton, and soybeans. Farmers in rain-dependent regions typically begin sowing after the first steady monsoon rains, which help prepare fields and replenish soil moisture. The prolonged dry spell also extended hot weather across northern and...