The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday afternoon declared the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon in Maharashtra, with 21 districts, including Nagpur, Chandrapur, Hingoli, Beed, and Dharashiv, recording deficit rainfall during the monsoon season.
Of the remaining districts, Mumbai city and suburban divisions, Thane, Pune, Raigad and Ratnagiri recorded rainfall within a normal range, while Nashik and Palghar districts recorded surplus rainfall.
The IMD’s withdrawal comes amid an intensifying El-Niño climatic pattern that has led to inadequate rainfall across the state.
Usually, the monsoon is declared by the weather bureau between October 7 and 10, and this year saw the earliest monsoon withdrawal announced in the last four years. In 2024 and 2025, the monsoon withdrawal took place on October 15 and October 11. In 2023, which was an El-Niño impacted year, similar to that of 2026, monsoon withdrawal was declared on October 6.
According to the IMD rainfall figures, between June 1 and September 30, Maharashtra recorded actual average rainfall of 804.4 mm against a seasonal average of 994.5 mm. While the figures show a 19 per cent shortfall in the actual rainfall recorded, officials maintained that this year’s rainfall classifies as normal only.
“As per IMD’s definition, we can declare the rainfall season as deficit only if the shortfall is equal to or more than 20 per cent. Since the state’s shortfall this year stands at 19 per cent, we cannot declare a rain-deficit season for Maharashtra even though the actual rainfall figures are less than the average quota of rain,” Sushma Nair, scientist, IMD Mumbai, told The Indian Express.
Furthermore, the IMD’s figure also shows disproportionate rainfall across the state. While Nashik and Palghar recorded excess rainfall, their neighbouring districts — Ahilya Nagar and Sholapur –recorded deficit rainfall.
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In the case of Mumbai, the rainfall figures remained disproportionate throughout the monsoon months.
In June, the IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded a 29 per cent deficit of rainfall, while in July the observatory recorded excess rainfall of above 55 per cent; again, for the months of August and September, the IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded deficit rainfall of 35 per cent and 49 per cent.
Similarly, IMD’s coastal observatory at Colaba recorded an 18 per cent shortfall during June, while in July it recorded surplus rainfall by a 50 per cent margin. Later, for the months of August and September, this observatory recorded a deficit of 188 per cent and 101 per cent.
In total, the Santacruz observatory recorded 2,530.5 mm of rainfall — a surplus of 9 per cent rainfall against its seasonal average of 2,318.8 mm. Similarly, the Colaba observatory recorded 1,957.1 mm of rainfall — a 7 per cent deficit from its seasonal average of 2,102 mm.
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“This year the rainfall pattern had remained disproportionate, as a result of which Mumbai recorded massive rainfall in July, which largely made up for the season’s quota. As a result, the overall number shows that Mumbai recorded excess rainfall despite recording a shortfall in 3 out of the 4 monsoon months,” Nair said.
Furthermore, the IMD officials said that Mumbai will continue to reel under warmer conditions for the next one week.
The weather bureau had placed Mumbai under a yellow alert indicating excess heat levels for the weekend, and officials said that temperature levels will continue to hover around 35 degrees for the next one week.
Rainfall recorded in Maharashtra
Average seasonal quota
994.5 mm
Actual rainfall recorded
804.4 mm
Shortfall
19%
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Districts with deficit rainfalls
Sholapur
-58%
Hingoli
-49%
Jalna
-48%
Parbhani
-40%
Nandurbar
Districts with normal rainfall
Districts with excess rainfall
Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Pune, Raigad, Ratnagiri
Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.
Expertise & Authority
Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.
Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:
Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.
City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.
Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:
National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.
Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.
Experience
Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:
Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).
Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.
Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More
