Monsoon weakens in August
16-Aug-2025 11:02 AM
After distributing the gift of explosive rains in different parts of the country in June and July, the southwest monsoon weakened in August and the increase in the speed of rainfall created a worrying situation in some areas.
It is worth noting that last year also the monsoon rains were somewhat less in August, which especially affected the sugarcane crop.
The latest data of the Meteorological Department shows that during August 1 to 15, 2025, only 107.20 mm of rain was received at the national level, which was 19.6 percent less than the Long Period Average (LPA) of 133.30 mm. In June-July, 106 percent of the LPA was received, but by mid-August it came down to 100 percent.
Although during the first 15 days of the current month, some states received good rainfall, but other provinces witnessed lack of rain.
The distribution of rainfall remained largely uneven. The mid-weather subdivisions of the country received 59 per cent less rainfall than the normal average while other subdivisions received either normal or slightly more rainfall.
For the first time during the current monsoon season, the eastern and northeastern regions of the country recorded surplus rainfall while less than 100 per cent rainfall was recorded there in every fortnight from 1 June to 31 July.
More than a dozen districts of Bihar are in the grip of severe floods and there is a possibility of heavy damage to Kharif crops there.
During the first fortnight of August, rainfall remained weak in three meteorological subdivisions of four states - Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya between 1 June and 15 August while its share in some areas of the country remains 9 per cent.
During the first fortnight of the current month, the eastern and northeastern states received 8.1 percent more rainfall than the normal average and the southern peninsula received 25.6 percent more rainfall, while the states in the central division - Orissa,
Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat - received 59.2 percent less rainfall than the normal average and the northwestern part of the country received 2 percent less rainfall.
It is known that paddy is cultivated on a large scale in Orissa and Chhattisgarh and pulses, oilseeds and cotton are cultivated on a large scale in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Between 1 June and 15 August, 581.5 mm rainfall was recorded at the national level, which is slightly more than the normal average of 579.10 mm.
Now everyone's attention is focused on the rainfall during the second fortnight of August (16 to 31 August) because this period is considered very important for the progress of Kharif crops.