Monsoon (Climatology).
Syllabus: UPSC Pre GS1: Indian & World Geography; Mains GS1
Mission Mausam for UPSC: how weather is forecast, IMD and MoES bodies, ₹2,000 crore mission, radars, Bharat Forecast System, supercomputers, challenges.
Indian monsoon for UPSC: differential heating, ITCZ, jet streams, Tibetan plateau, onset, breaks, retreat, northeast monsoon, ENSO and IOD links, PYQs.
As on 14 August 2026, kharif crops covered 1016.57 lakh hectares, against 1037.52 lakh hectares a year earlier, the Agriculture Ministry said. Rice area was 379.07 lakh hectares, down 14.37 lakh hectares. Pulses, coarse cereals, oilseeds and cotton were slightly behind. Uttar Pradesh reported more area under pulses and oilseeds.
UPSC angle: Prelims: kharif crops.
17 Aug 2026
El Niño conditions that developed in May 2026 are likely to persist from June 2026 to February 2027, with probabilities of 70 to 90 per cent, the Earth Sciences Minister told Lok Sabha on 5 August. The outlook comes from INCOIS's indigenous AI/ML-based ENSO prediction system. He said El Niño is not the only factor for the monsoon.
UPSC angle: Prelims: ENSO, IOD.
5 Aug 2026
A pollen study by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences links the shrinking of the Harappan Civilization to a weak Indian Summer Monsoon between about 5100 and 4000 years before present, the Science Ministry said on 29 July 2026. Sediments from Deoria Tal in the Garhwal Himalaya show an abrupt dry spell, the "4.2 ka event".
UPSC angle: Prelims: IVC decline theories.
29 Jul 2026
As on 10 July 2026, total kharif area sown was 531.25 lakh hectares against 632.69 lakh hectares a year earlier, the Agriculture Ministry said on 13 July. Rice stood at 114.69 lakh ha versus 125.53 lakh ha. Pulses, oilseeds and cotton were also behind last year; sugarcane and jute were slightly ahead.
UPSC angle: Prelims: kharif crops.
13 Jul 2026
The Agriculture Ministry reviewed monsoon readiness on 2 June 2026 after IMD indicated a below-normal 2026 southwest monsoon, at about 90 per cent of the Long Period Average, with El Niño possibly developing. States were told to activate district contingency plans. Reservoir storage stood at 127.01 per cent of normal, and seed stocks were reported sufficient.
UPSC angle: Mains: contingency crop planning.
2 Jun 2026
IMD's updated forecast of 29 May 2026 puts southwest monsoon (June–September) rainfall at 90% of the Long Period Average (±4%). The LPA (1971–2020) is 87 cm. There is an 84% probability of below-normal or less rainfall. Neutral ENSO is shifting towards El Niño; the IOD is likely to stay neutral.
UPSC angle: Prelims: LPA, forecast categories.
29 May 2026