Mumbai, June 13 -- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has officially confirmed the onset of El Nino conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, raising significant concerns regarding the progress of the southwest monsoon across the country.
According to the IMD's latest bulletin, the climate phenomenon is likely to strengthen throughout the ongoing monsoon season (June-September). The emergence of these conditions, marked by sea surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific crossing the El Nino threshold in June 2026, has prompted authorities to forecast a "below-normal" monsoon, with a high probability of deficient rainfall in critical rainfed agricultural zones.
Historically, El Nino is associated with warmer-than-normal...