The Southwest monsoon has covered the entire country on June 29, nine days earlier than its normal schedule, and the quickest in the last five years since it completed its spread over the country on June 26 in 2020. The Kharif sowing, which has already taken an early lead with monsoon covering most States before its normal schedule, is expected to gain further pace in the next few weeks.

“The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of Rajasthan, west Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi on June 29, 2025. Thus, it has covered the entire country against the normal date of July 8,” said RK Jenamani, senior scientist in the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

The last phase of monsoon, which covered some left out areas on June 29, saw daily rainfall (preceding 24 hours up to 8:30 AM) in western Uttar Pradesh 61 per cent higher, east Rajasthan 42 per cent lower and Haryana 109 per cent surplus.

Jenamani said that monsoon had covered the entire country in June only six times in the last 25 years, the earliest was on June 16 in 2013, when the seasonal rainfall for the entire year was 106 per cent of the normal. The weather bureau has predicted this year’s monsoon rainfall to be 108 per cent of the normal rainfall during June.

Further, he said that the low pressure area over north-west Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts persists over the same region at 08:30 hrs Sunday and the associated cyclonic circulation extends up to 7.6km above mean sea level.

“It is likely to move slowly towards west/north-west across north Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand during next 2 days,” he said.

According to the IMD data, the country as a whole has received 170.3 mm rainfall so far, which is 8 per cent above the long period average (LPA) of 157.7 mm. The east and north-east meteorological subdivision has received 17 per cent deficit rainfall, the north-west subdivision 37 per cent above normal, Central India 24 per cent surplus and southern peninsula 2 per cent below normal rainfall during June 1-29. But, 10 States and union territories still are deficient and those include Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Sikkim, Meghalaya.

Actual rainfall during June 1-15 in the country was 31 per cent below normal with all the meteorological subdivisions had deficient rainfall. However, as monsoon revived from June 15-16, the precipitation improved in the second half.

Kharif sowing has gathered momentum over the past week with farmers preferring paddy, cotton, maize over some pulses and oilseeds. Overall acreage under all Kharif crops is up by 10 per cent to 137.84 lakh hectares (lh) as on June 20 from 124.88 lh year-ago, the agriculture ministry said last week. The acreage of arhar (pigeon pea), groundnut and soyabean is marginally lower, while all other crops have reported higher area.

July, being the wettest month of the monsoon season, farmers also cover maximum sowing area in the month to have a normal harvest and get the field cleared for Rabi crops sowing before November.

Published on June 29, 2025