Rainy season may start 10 days later

NEW DELHI: India’s rainy season will now be expected to start 10 days later than usual for most parts of the country as the vital weather phenomenon has changed over the decades since the ‘normal’ dates were set in 1941.

The onset date for India, which starts with Kerala on June 1, will remain the same but its withdrawal would now be expected 10 to 15 days than the ‘normal’ date of September 30, said M Rajeevan, secretary of the ministry of earth sciences.

“We cannot use climatology of 1940s for informing people, it’s a little awkward,” Rajeevan told ET on the sidelines of an event to observe the 145th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). He did not share the exact dates in the new schedule.


ET had first reported in July that the weather office would revise the ‘normal’ dates for the monsoon.

The decision has wide-ranging implications, particularly for farmers, who plan crop planting in line with expected arrival of the monsoon.