Assam and Meghalaya have recorded another below-normal monsoon season, extending a worrying trend of declining rainfall across the Northeast and raising concerns about changing climate patterns in one of India’s most rain-dependent regions.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Assam-Meghalaya meteorological subdivision ended the four-month southwest monsoon season with a rainfall deficit of 31 percent. The region received only 1,204.6 mm of rainfall against the normal seasonal average of 1,784 mm.
Meghalaya, home to some of the wettest places on Earth, recorded a sharp 39 percent rainfall deficit, while Assam registered a 26 percent shortfall. Across the Northeast, all states except Nagaland received below-normal rainfall, with Arunachal Pradesh recording the highest deficit in the region at 45 percent.
The latest figures continue a concerning long-term trend. After receiving 29 percent excess rainfall in 2020, Assam and Meghalaya have now experienced six consecutive years of below-normal monsoon rainfall. The trend was particularly striking in 2025, when the region received just 1,123.4 mm of rainfall, the lowest seasonal total recorded since 1901.
Climate experts believe the pattern is linked to climate change. Renowned meteorologist Professor Bhupendra Nath Goswami, former Director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said that while average rainfall has increased in some parts of India, particularly western states, rainfall over Northeast India has been steadily declining. He also noted that rising atmospheric moisture is contributing to more extreme weather events, with short periods of intense rainfall occurring between prolonged dry spells.
Rainfall distribution across Assam remained highly uneven during the season. Nalbari and Udalguri were the worst-affected districts, recording rainfall deficits of 61 percent and 60 percent respectively. While ten districts received normal rainfall, most others remained in the deficient category.
Even Sohra, formerly known as Cherrapunji and famous worldwide for its exceptionally high rainfall, recorded a seasonal deficit of 35 percent. The town registered a 40 percent deficit in June, 15 percent in July, 30 percent in August and a staggering 70 percent shortfall in September, highlighting the changing rainfall pattern in one of the world’s wettest locations.
Guwahati, meanwhile, experienced a highly uneven monsoon. The city received nearly 70 percent excess rainfall in July, but rainfall remained significantly below normal during June, August and September. June alone recorded a deficit of around 60 percent. Despite the exceptionally wet July, Guwahati finished the season with approximately 7 percent less rainfall than normal.
Meteorologists observed that much of the city’s rainfall was concentrated in only a few intense spells. Apart from two episodes of heavy to very heavy rain in July, daily rainfall crossed the 50 mm mark only once during the entire monsoon season. At the same time, Guwahati’s mean maximum temperature remained about one degree Celsius above normal throughout the monsoon period, adding another indication of the region’s shifting weather patterns.
