CURRENT AFFAIRS | 19 JUNE 2026
A fortnight after sweeping into Kerala, the southwest monsoon has stalled over Maharashtra, leaving large swathes of western and central India parched. As of June 1–17, 2026, all-India rainfall is running a sharp 38% below average, with the worst deficits clustered along the western coast and the Deccan.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has pinned the slowdown on a mix of weak cross-equatorial winds and an unfavourable phase of a global climate driver called the Madden-Julian Oscillation — and expects revival as conditions turn favourable.
What Happened
The monsoon made its onset over Kerala on June 4, 2026, but its northward march has since faltered over Maharashtra. The rain deficit is severe in the west: Konkan & Goa is at -81%, Madhya Maharashtra -80%, Vidarbha -72% and Marathwada -62%, dragging the all-India figure to a 38% shortfall.
IMD attributes the stall to three factors: a weakened cross-equatorial flow, stronger northerly and north-westerly winds acting as barriers, and the suppressed phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The Arabian Sea branch of the monsoon is lagging the Bay of Bengal branch. Forecasters expect a revival as the MJO turns favourable, with rains advancing over Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
⚖️ Policy & Institutional Framework
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is the nodal agency for monsoon forecasting. It measures rainfall departures against the Long Period Average (LPA). The southwest monsoon advances through two branches — the Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal branch. Beyond the MJO — an eastward-propagating band of wind and cloud over the Indian and Pacific oceans whose favourable phase boosts convection — monsoon strength is also modulated by El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).
🎯 Why This Matters for CLAT
Monsoon mechanics, IMD terminology and climate oscillations such as the MJO, El Niño and the IOD are recurrent CLAT environment and geography GK. Passage-based questions often pair a news hook (a rain deficit, a stalled monsoon) with conceptual probes on the LPA, the two monsoon branches and the agencies involved — so a clear grasp of these terms is high-yield revision.
📌 Key Facts
| What | Southwest monsoon stalled over Maharashtra |
| When | Onset June 4, 2026; stall noted by mid-June |
| Where | Maharashtra (Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Marathwada) |
| Key numbers | 38% all-India deficit; Konkan & Goa -81% |
| Key body | India Meteorological Department (IMD) |
🧠 Memory Hook
Think “MJO = Monsoon’s Jet On/Off switch.” When the MJO band sits favourably over the Indian Ocean, the rain tap is ON; in its suppressed phase, the tap is OFF — exactly what stalled Maharashtra in June 2026.
Test yourself on monsoon dynamics, the MJO and IMD terminology with this CLAT-style quiz:
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
