The southwest monsoon hit Mumbai on Monday – the earliest onset ever recorded for the city, reported TOI adding that “the previous record was May 29, recorded in 1956, 1962, and 1971 (records date back to 1950).” The newspaper noted that “the island city” broke a 100-year-old record for rainfall received in May, which has now touched 295mm. IMD’s Colaba observatory, which broke the all-time rainfall record for May, logging 439 mm so far, surpassed the previous record of 279.4 mm set in May 1918, the report said.
Meanwhile, from June to September, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast the monsoon rains to be 106% of the long period average (LPA) with a model error of ±4%, which is above normal rainfall.
In April, the weather office forecast that the annual southwest monsoon rainfall is likely to be ‘above normal’ at 105% of LPA, with a model error of ± 5%., the HT reported. The newspaper added that the seasonal rainfall is most likely to be above normal over central India and south peninsular India (>106% of LPA), normal over northwest India (92-108% of LPA) and below normal over northeast India (<94% of LPA), the IMD said. The LPA for the monsoon season based on the 1971-2020 period stands at 87 cm.
The outlet noted that monsoon arrived over Kerala on May 24, eight days before the normal date of June 1. In June, normal to below normal day temperatures are likely over most parts of the country, except many regions of northwest India and northeast India, where above normal temperatures are very likely.
Thirty-four dead as heavy rain, lightning wreak havoc across Uttar Pradesh
Heavy rain, lightning and storm left at least 34 people dead and dozens injured across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday (May 22, 2025), reported the Hindu. The sudden and intense weather has left a trail of devastation in at least 15 districts, the newspaper said.
Kasganj and Fatehpur district reported five deaths each while Meerut and Gautam Buddha Nagar recorded four fatalities each, reported the outlet. In Bulandshahr district three people were killed while in Auraiya, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat and Etawah reported two deaths each. Authorities said that most casualties happened due to the falling of trees, lightning strikes, collapsing structures and drowning, the report noted.
High-resolution Bharat Forecast System launched to address extreme weather events
The earth sciences ministry launched Bharat Forecast System: a high-resolution (6 km) numerical global model for operational forecasts up to the panchayat level, to predict extreme rainfall events, reported HT.
The newspaper noted that the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), indigenously developed the Bharat Forecast System, which was in use on an experimental basis since 2022 and showed a 30% improvement in extreme rainfall forecasts. The rain forecast in the core monsoon region improved by 64%. Cyclone track and intensity forecasts also improved, IITM scientists told HT.
The new system is able to run models in around 3-4 hours compared to the previous system that took 12-13 hours. “The [Bharat Forecast System] resolution is 6km at the tropics and 7-8 km resolution at the poles,” IITM director Suryachandra Rao told the newspaper.
India witnessing severe climate impact on Himalayan region: Bhupender Yadav
Environment minister Bhupender Yadav said India is witnessing severe climate change impact due to which glaciers are retreating, threatening the future of water security for populations downstream, reported HT.
Speaking at Sagarmatha Sambaad, a multi-stakeholder meeting on mountains and climate change, Yadav said : “The science is clear. Himalayas are sounding an alarm. As a consequence of global warming due to human activity, glaciers are retreating, threatening the future of water security for populations downstream,”
“The Himalayas bear a significant part of the burden of the environmental crisis. We in India, with our significant Himalayan territory, witness these impacts first-hand. We share the concerns of the mountain States and their peoples. Our environmental futures are intrinsically linked,” he said. Earlier this month, glaciologists and local communities mourned the loss of Nepal’s Yala glacier, believed to be the first Nepalese glacier to be declared “dead”.
Global forest loss hits “frightening” record high with climate-fuelled fires
In 2024, the loss of the world’s forests reached the highest level ever recorded, the Guardian reported, citing analysis from the University of Maryland hosted on Global Forest Watch. The report said forest loss was driven by “a surge in fires caused by global heating”.
The newspaper reported that forest loss in Brazil accounted for 42% of all primary rainforest loss in the tropics. “In Bolivia, the loss of previously untouched forest continued to rise, ranking second behind Brazil in overall loss for the first time, driven by drought, fire and government policies promoting agricultural expansion for soya, cattle and sugar cane.
The loss of Bolivia’s primary forest has increased nearly fivefold since 2020,” The outlet said. According to Climate Home News, forest loss in 2024 was equivalent to 18 football fields vanishing every minute. It says this is nearly twice as fast as forest loss in 2023.
India’s cotton exports could threaten Maharashtra’s groundwater
Cotton, one of India’s major agricultural exports, is putting pressure on Maharashtra’s groundwater, reported Mongabay. The outlet said despite debates about rainfed versus irrigated cultivation, data revealed Yavatmal and Amravati – the second- and fifth-highest cotton-producing districts – have seen a 14% and 19% increase in groundwater extraction rates between 2013-14 and 2022-23. The crop is depleting groundwater resources and threatening food security in water-scarce regions, the report noted.
The outlet explained that data from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW), parliamentary records, UN Comtrade, and ground reporting in Amravati revealed that India’s cotton exports between 2011-12 and 2020-21 consumed over 40 trillion litres of water. Also, one in every 10 groundwater assessment units in Maharashtra’s top five cotton-producing districts was categorised as “critical” or “overexploited” by the CGWB. Out of these five districts, Amravati and Jalgaon extracted over 90% and 79% of their available groundwater, respectively in 2023.
The climate news portal said cotton districts in Maharashtra extract dangerously high levels of groundwater. Experts suggested groundwater monitoring, water rationing, and policy changes to support sustainable cotton farming.
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