Multiple Factors Influence Monsoon Behavior: IMD Director

 Vijayawada: As the 2026 Southwest Monsoon season gets going, disaster management agencies and government departments have been advised to make effective use of early warning systems to minimise loss of life and property.

The call was made by IMD director general M Mohapatra on Tuesday.

Addressing a stakeholders’ conference on “Southwest Monsoon 2026 outlook – preparedness and multi-hazard weather warning services” through video conference from New Delhi, Mohapatra stressed the need for coordinated action among government departments to tackle weather-related disasters. The conference was jointly organised by the IMD and the national institute of disaster management at the NIDM southern campus in Adavinekkalam near Gannavaram.

Mohapatra said the monsoon season, which officially runs from June 1 to September 30, has begun. The monsoon entered the Andaman Sea and south Bay of Bengal as early as May 16. Large-scale climate-related systems such as El Niño, La Niña, Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) influence monsoon behaviour, causing variations in rainfall patterns, floods and droughts across regions, he said.

He said more than 90 per cent of the 13-14 low-pressure systems that form over the Bay of Bengal during the monsoon season originate in the North Bay. These systems often move westward along the monsoon trough, bringing heavy rainfall across north coastal AP, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

The Godavari and Krishna river basins in AP remain particularly vulnerable.

Highlighting the role of advanced forecasting tools, Mohapatra said IMD’s Decision Support System provides access to rainfall data, seven-day forecasts and district and mandal-level impact-based forecasts. He urged citizens and farmers to use mobile applications such as Mausam, Mausam Gram and Crop Weather for timely weather advisories and crop-specific guidance.

ICAR-CRIDA founder and former professor BV Ramana Rao said India suffers enormous economic losses due to cyclones, floods, droughts and tsunamis, and stressed the need for scientific research and vulnerability mapping to reduce disaster risks.

Head of the regional meteorological centre, Chennai, head D Sivananda Pai called for integrated action to make Andhra Pradesh a “climate-smart state”.

NDRF 10th battalion commandant VVN Prasanna Kumar said improved forecasting and coordination had significantly reduced disaster-related casualties over the years. NIDM southern campus joint director Col P Srinivasulu Reddy emphasised that every rupee spent on preparedness could save many times more in post-disaster recovery costs.

Scientists, disaster management experts and senior officials from various government departments participated in the seminar, which also featured technical presentations on monsoon forecasting, cyclone warnings and disaster management strategies.