A short-term La Niña cycle is likely to arrive in December

09-Oct-2025 03:35 PM

Thiruvananthapuram. The Australian Meteorological Forecasting Centre has predicted the arrival of a La Niña cycle for a few days in December this year, which could bring heavy rainfall to many parts of the country.

This could benefit some Rabi crops and harm others. Harvesting preparations for Kharif crops, except for rice, are typically completed by December. The northeast monsoon is active in India from October to December, bringing significant rainfall to South India.

It is worth noting that during a La Niña cycle, heavy rainfall and flooding are likely in Asia, especially India. According to the Australian Meteorological Agency, the La Niña cycle is expected to arrive in the first half of December this year and could remain active until the end of February 2026.

The Bureau of Meteorology's model currently indicates that conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean have become favorable for the development of La Niña.

It could form any time between September 23 and December 23, 2025. Its activity will peak from December 2025 to February 2026, and then become neutral. International models indicate that the Pacific Ocean may remain cold for some time, which could increase La Niña activity until spring, but at that time, its intensity will decrease and it will begin to reverse.

During September 2025, Asia and Europe experienced extremely heavy rainfall, leading to severe flooding in many countries, including India.

This damaged agricultural crops. The sowing season for Rabi crops has now begun in India, and the soil in the fields already has sufficient moisture. If La Niña rainfall occurs, sowing may be disrupted in some areas.