Kerala stares at a bleak monsoon season in 2026

After the severe ongoing summer season, Kerala, which is considered the gateway of the south-west monsoon to the country, is likely to witness a below-normal monsoon in the forthcoming season, as per the long-range forecast of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), increasing the risk of drought.

However, the forecast of Skymet, India’s private weather forecasting agency, has given a ray of hope for Kerala by predicting normal or above-normal rainfall in the State, along with the west coast of the country including the Konkan belt, although it has forecast a below-normal monsoon over the country as a whole this year in view of the evolving El Niño conditions.