Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Oct 1: Goa has recorded its driest monsoon season in five decades, receiving around 80 inches of rainfall between June 1 and September 30 against the seasonal average of nearly 118 inches, resulting in a deficit of about 32%.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) director Nahush Kulkarni, the 2026 monsoon stands out both for the low rainfall received and the magnitude of the deficit.
Kulkarni said the season has emerged as the driest monsoon in Goa in the past 50 years and recorded the highest rainfall deficiency in the past 15 years.
Goa received 2,055.4 mm of rainfall during the four-month southwest monsoon against the normal 3,007.8 mm, resulting in a seasonal deficit of nearly 32%. The state received around 952.4 mm less rainfall than normal.
Historical data from 1980 to 2026 shows that the largest seasonal rainfall deficits before 2026 were recorded in 2006 at 29%, 1986 at 23%, 2015 at 21% and 2018 at 19%. Based on the available dataset, the 2026 monsoon recorded the largest seasonal rainfall deficit in Goa during this period.
In recent years, Goa recorded excess rainfall of 40% in 2020, 5% in 2021, 12% in 2023, 47% in 2024 and 4% in 2025. The state recorded a 9% rainfall deficit in 2022.
The IMD attributed this year's rainfall shortage to several factors. In June, the formation of a cyclone or severe cyclone over the South China Sea drew moisture towards the Bay of Bengal and delayed the onset of the monsoon. The jet streams were also not strong enough to push southwest winds towards the west coast and the Indian subcontinent, affecting the early phase of the monsoon.
July, normally the peak monsoon month, also recorded deficient rainfall and included a prolonged dry spell of around 10 days. Kulkarni said the poor rainfall in July made it difficult to recover the deficit during the remaining months, while August and September too received insufficient rainfall.
These factors together contributed to the significant rainfall deficit recorded across Goa during the 2026 southwest monsoon season.