NEWS: Karnataka recorded its fourth-lowest June rainfall in the last five decades, receiving only 116 mm rainfall, a 42% deficit from the normal, with El Niño likely to affect rainfall in July as well.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Karnataka received 116 mm rainfall in June 2026 against the normal 199 mm (42% deficit).
• It is the fourth-lowest June rainfall in the last 50 years.
• June 1991 remains the wettest June on record with 294 mm rainfall.
• Experts attribute the poor rainfall partly to the influence of El Niño, which may continue into July.

IMPACT

• Delayed or abandoned Kharif sowing of crops such as paddy, maize, jowar, tur, groundnut, cotton, and soybean.
• Declining reservoir storage, including low water levels in the Tungabhadra Reservoir.
• Reduced soil moisture affecting agriculture and water availability.
• Highlights increasing rainfall variability linked to climate change.