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Kerala records one of its biggest rainfall deficits

2 MIN READ | AUTHOR : Web Desk
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 03, 2026 01:38 AM IST

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MALAPPURAM: Kerala has recorded a major deficit in the southwest monsoon this year, with the state receiving 28 per cent less rainfall than normal during the four-month monsoon season from June 1 to September 30. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) data shows that 2026 is the seventh year with the lowest rainfall in the state in the 125 years since 1901.

Kerala was expected to receive 2,018.6 mm of rainfall during the period but received only 1,446.5 mm. Wayanad and Idukki were the worst affected by the rainfall deficit. Wayanad received less than half of the expected rainfall, recording a deficit of 53 per cent. The deficit was 47 per cent in Idukki, 38 per cent in Kollam, 32 per cent in Alappuzha and 30 per cent each in Palakkad and Thrissur. Meanwhile, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram received rainfall within the normal range.

Hope rests on northeast monsoon

The weather department expects the northeast monsoon, locally known as the Thulavarsham, to be normal. Better rainfall during the season will be crucial to preventing a possible water shortage in the coming months. Although a yellow alert was issued yesterday for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad, there was no rain during the daytime. A yellow alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam on October 4, and for Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Malappuram on October 5.