IMD Monsoon Forecast Says Less Rains For Assam
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts above-normal rainfall for most of India during the 2025 Southwest Monsoon, but parts of Assam and the Northeast may face a worrying shortfall.
If you’re the sort who does a little rain dance every May in the hope of a decent monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has served up some partly sunny news – with a chance of confusion. According to their long-range forecast for the 2025 Southwest Monsoon, India can expect above-normal rainfall across most parts of the country. Hurrah? Well, not quite.
Because just as one starts to celebrate with a cup of hot chai and a pakora or two, the small print drizzles in – the Northeast (hello, Assam), parts of the Northwest, and the South Peninsular regions are in for a bit of a dampener. Or rather, the lack thereof. In plain English: while the rest of India might be splashing about in joy, Assam and its neighbours are expected to stay parched, clutching their empty buckets and looking skywards with growing despair.
The IMD, always the bearer of weatherly wisdom, solemnly announced: “Above-normal seasonal rainfall is very likely over most parts of the country except some areas over Northwest India, Northeast India and South Peninsular India, where below-normal rainfall is likely.” Translation? Pack away those monsoon anthems in Assam, and keep your garden hose under lock and key.
March already gave us a sneak preview of this lopsided watery fate. While eastern Assam had its moment under the clouds – with Dhemaji soaking up a soggy 187.2 mm of rainfall (double its usual amount) – the western and southern parts of the state were left high and distressingly dry. Goalpara, bless its parched soul, managed just 2.7 mm of rain, marking a 95% deficit. One imagines the clouds gave it a wide berth, perhaps mistaking it for Rajasthan.
Nagaon wasn’t far behind in the ‘dry and disgruntled’ department, notching up a 90% shortfall. Other districts, including Barpeta, Baksa, Cachar and Darrang, also faced rainfall numbers that looked like a cricket scoreboard on a particularly bad day for India.
Even Guwahati, Assam’s buzzing capital in Kamrup Metro, couldn’t coax the rain gods into action. With only 18.2 mm of rain in March, it was left panting in the heat. March 16 was a scorcher, with temperatures climbing to 35.4°C – hardly the sort of weather that inspires optimism or outdoor activity (unless your idea of fun involves slowly melting onto the pavement).
As if that wasn’t enough to make one clutch their forehead and reach for the nearest fan, the IMD has gone ahead and thrown another sunbeam into the mix: the April to June period is expected to be hotter than usual, with heatwaves more likely to plague central and eastern India, and parts of the northwestern plains. In other words, it’s all turning into a bit of a slow roast.
While the rest of India might be planning for umbrellas, Assam may have to settle for sun hats and plenty of coconut water. The question now is whether this regional imbalance will lead to yet another summer of cracked earth, dry taps and worried farmers looking to the heavens for something other than heatstroke.
Still, as we like to say, every cloud has a silver lining – assuming we can find a cloud, of course. Perhaps now we will realise that nature has it’s own way to pay back and ask “Will you cut more trees in the name of ‘so called’ development?”
What's Your Reaction?
