Southwest monsoon covers entire Telangana on June 23 after prolonged pause, but El Nino may weaken seasonal rains

The southwest monsoon covered the entire Telangana on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) after an unusually prolonged advance. The monsoon entered the State through Jogulamba Gadwal district on June 8 and took nearly 15 days to spread across all 33 districts, far longer than the usual 2 to 4 days and even exceeding the 7 to 10 days seen during exceptional years.

Speaking to The Hindu, Head of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Hyderabad Centre, S. Stella, said the delay was caused by a break in the monsoon’s progress and highlighted that the onset over Kerala does not necessarily guarantee continuous advancement across the country. “There was a lull in between. Onset over Kerala does not mean there will be uninterrupted progression. Depending on favourable wind conditions and rainfall, we can only say that the monsoon is likely to progress over the next three or four days. We cannot predict its movement well in advance,” she said.

Reason for overnight rain

Senior Meteorologist G.N.R.S. Srinivas attributed the widespread rainfall recorded across several parts of the State, including Hyderabad, during to intervening night of June 22 and 23 to the sudden release of accumulated moisture associated with the monsoon. “The monsoon had remained stalled for many days. With abundant moisture available and high temperatures already prevailing, conditions became favourable for thundercloud development. As a result, many parts of Telangana received rain overnight,” he explained.

According to him, temperatures are expected to fall by 5℃ to 7℃ over the next two days. Thereafter, rainfall activity is likely to be dominated.

Telangana may experience below-normal rainfall

Meanwhile, Ms. Stella cautioned that Telangana may experience below-normal rainfall during the remainder of the southwest monsoon season because of the gradual strengthening of El Nino conditions over the Pacific Ocean. “El Nino is currently in a weak phase but is expected to strengthen progressively over the coming months. It is expected to become weak to moderate during July and August and may turn strong by the end of August or in September,” she said.

Given the prospect of reduced rainfall, she stressed the need for efficient water management and urged farmers to choose crops that require less irrigation. “Water management is very important, whether for drinking purposes or agriculture. Farmers should carefully select crop varieties and prefer drought-resistant crops such as millets and pulses instead of water-intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane,” she said.