Dry July 2026 ahead for Telangana as monsoon shifts elsewhere

While Mumbai and several parts of Maharashtra grapple with heavy rainfall, Telangana — including Hyderabad — is likely to remain relatively dry through the rest of July, with weak monsoon conditions and no significant low-pressure systems expected to form over the Bay of Bengal, according to meteorologists at the Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS).

Shift in rainfall activity

“July is typically one of the wettest months of the season, but this year’s rainfall activity has shifted towards central, western and northern India, including Maharashtra and Gujarat,” informed senior weather consultant Y.V. Rama Rao in an exclusive interaction on Friday (July 10, 2026).

Monsoon onset and progress slow in Telangana

Mr. Rao noted that the southwest monsoon’s onset over Telangana was both delayed and weak this year. It entered on June 8 but progress got stalled before eventually covering all districts only by June 23. “What normally takes three to four days took nearly 15 days this time,” he explained.

Typically, after its onset, the monsoon briefly weakens as it advances northwards before regaining strength through low-pressure systems forming over the Bay of Bengal. These systems usually bring widespread rainfall to Telangana. However, that process has largely failed to materialise this year.

A pattern not seen in last 10 years

“This is quite unusual and we have not seen such a pattern in the last 10 years,” Mr. Rao said. “Over the past five to six years, July and August generally received good rainfall even when June was weak. This year, however, Telangana may see only scanty or scattered thundershowers triggered by local heat and moisture for next two to three weeks. Significant rainfall is likely only if weather systems develop closer to the Andhra Pradesh coast.”

“With El Niño — characterised by warming in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that tends to suppress monsoon activity over India — strengthening, and with neither the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) nor the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) providing favourable conditions, rainfall has remained scarce, he said.”

Deficit rainfall in 20 Telangana districts

Rainfall data reflects the deficit. Against the normal cumulative rainfall of 6.5 cm expected by July 10, Telangana has received only 4.3 cm, compared with 6.6 cm during the same period last year — a deficit of 33%. Only 13 districts have recorded normal rainfall so far, while 20 districts remain in the deficient category.

From June 1 to July 10, Telangana received 15.8 cm of rainfall against a normal of 19.5 cm, a deficit of 19%. In Hyderabad, cumulative rainfall stood at 11.3 cm against the normal 15.6 cm, representing a 28% shortfall. Clear skies has also pushed temperatures above normal with day temperatures being 34°C-38°C across districts and 33°C-36°C in Hyderabad.