Northwest India Sees Warmest June Since 1901, Country Gets Below-Normal Rainfall

New Delhi: The scorching summer in India continues to break records.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday that the country’s northwest region just experienced its warmest June since 1901, with an average temperature of 31.73 degrees Celsius.

The monthly average maximum temperature for the month was 38.02 degrees Celsius, 1.96 degrees above normal, while the average minimum temperature was 25.44 degrees Celsius, 1.35 degrees above normal.

As for rain, the entire country recorded below-normal rainfall in June. The 11% deficit was the highest in five years.

India received 147.2 mm of rainfall over the month, against a normal of 165.3 mm, making it the seventh-lowest June rainfall since 2001, informed IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.

Northwest India’s heat woes were caused by a 33% rainfall deficit. Central India experienced a 14% rainfall deficit, while for east and northeast India it was 13%.

South India, where monsoon arrived in late May-early June, recorded surplus rain – 14% above normal.

“The country recorded 16 days of below-normal rainfall activity from June 11 to June 27, leading to overall below-normal precipitation,” PTI quoted Mohapatra as saying.

The monsoon, following an early onset over Kerala and northeastern region on May 30, lost momentum leading to delayed rains in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

IMD had earlier forecast above-normal rainfall during the 2024 monsoon season.