India's 2023 Monsoon Deficit

The Indian monsoon season of 2023 has so far brought either too little or too much rain all at once. Seven weeks into the season, some regions have experienced previously missing rains - normalizing the overall rain tally in some places but also causing destruction, deaths and damage to crops, including rice. The fallout went so far that the Indian government on Thursday issued an export ban on non-Basmati white rice, saying it had to curb rising domestic prices.

Overall, many Indian states are still showing a rain deficit seven weeks into the monsoon season. But even in states with a rain tally that can be considered normal at this point, weeks of no rain alternating with heavy downpour can take its toll on crops.

Our map with data from the Indian Meteorological Department shows an overview of where the biggest deficits and excess rainfall occurred. The data shows that three states in the country's Northeast still experienced the equivalent of four weeks out of the current season’s seven where rain volumes were at least 60 percent deficient. In the other weeks, deficient and excess rain balanced each other out towards an expected result.

Ten more states throughout India experienced a moderate deficit where in the equivalent of two or three weeks' rainfall volumes lacked by 60 percent or more. Only three states located in the Northwest reported any excess rains.