Now Reading: Monsoon rainfall 15% below normal in 2026, analysis shows LPS-driven gaps
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Monsoon rainfall 15% below normal in 2026, analysis shows LPS-driven gaps
Monsoon rainfall 15% below normal in 2026, analysis shows LPS-driven gaps
India received 15% below normal monsoon rainfall in 2026, with 76.86 cm against a long-period average of 90.63 cm, according to India Meteorological Department data reported by The Hindu Business Line. Ladakh recorded the highest surplus at 112% above normal, while Meghalaya had the lowest at 61% below normal. The east and north-east region was 27% deficient, and the south peninsula reported shortfalls of 23% to 46%.
Down To Earth analysis shows that low-pressure system (LPS) activity has become more persistent, with LPS days exceeding long-term norms each month from July to September. The analysis links this to stark regional contrasts: central India swung from a 50% deficit in June to 33% above normal in July due to LPS rainfall, while Bihar remained 42% deficient. September recorded 27 LPS days against a normal of 16, with one depression killing 56 people in Uttar Pradesh.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Down To Earth frames the monsoon through its own LPS-persistence analysis, leading with how low-pressure systems concentrate rainfall and leave large regions dry, while The Hindu Business Line reports IMD's aggregate 15% deficit with state-by-state figures and no causal mechanism. Down To Earth emphasises rising LPS days and intensifying depressions, implicitly critical of unaddressed regional disparity, the Business Line offers straight compilation of IMD data without editorialising. Together, they show that the official deficit figure masks deep variation that Down To Earth attributes to changing LPS behaviour. The Business Line's neutral table ends the story, Down To Earth ends on the growing share of systems intensifying into depressions.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): downtoearth.org.in (neutral report), thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
