Below normal rainfall likely in northwest region till March: IMD
Rainfall across Northwest India—including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh—is likely to remain below normal from January to March this year, while above-normal cold wave days are expected in parts of central India, east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during January, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.
In its seasonal outlook for January–March, the IMD said below-normal rainfall is expected over most parts of Northwest, Northeast and Peninsular India, while above-normal rainfall is likely over some regions of central India and Uttar Pradesh.
Night temperatures in January are likely to be below normal over most parts of the country. Maximum temperatures are also expected to remain below normal in many regions. However, normal to above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of Northwest and Northeast India and in some areas of central India, the forecast said.
For January alone, average rainfall over Northwest India is most likely to be normal. Rainfall across most parts of the country is expected to be normal to above normal, though below-normal rainfall may occur in parts of northwest, east and northeast India, as well as in some localised pockets of peninsular and central India.
The IMD said December 2025 saw 15 to 26 days of dense to very dense fog over the Indo-Gangetic plains, covering Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, Odisha, and parts of the western Himalayan region, including Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Madhya Pradesh and Bihar recorded 10 to 14 foggy days, while cold-day conditions prevailed mainly over Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for 9 to 12 days.
India recorded 4.9 mm of rainfall in December 2025 against a normal of 15.9 mm.
“In December 2025 rainfall over Central India (0.0 mm) is lowest since 1901. Rainfall over east and northeast India (0.6 mm) is the sixth lowest since 1901,” the IMD said.
The IMD said India’s annual mean land surface air temperature in 2025 was 0.28° Celsius above the 1991–2020 average, making it the eighth warmest year since records began in 1901.
