New Delhi

Freshsatellite imagery from European and American weather agencies has revealed an alarming picture of India's southwest monsoon, with cloud cover across large parts of the country appearing unusually sparse for mid-June, raising concerns about a prolonged rainfall deficit during a critical phase of the season.

Images captured on Tuesday by the European weather satellite Meteosat Indian Ocean Data Coverage (IODC), operated by EUMETSAT, NOAA's weather satellite, and Isro's Insat-3DS show vast stretches of central, western and peninsular India largely devoid of the dense cloud bands typically associated with an active monsoon.

The images present a striking contrast to what meteorologists would normally expect nearly two weeks after the monsoon's onset over Kerala. Instead of widespread moisture-laden clouds advancing across the subcontinent, much of India appears dry, with only scattered patches of convection visible over parts of the Bay of Bengal and eastern regions. Weather experts say the situation reflects a significant weakening of the monsoon circulation. Heat continues to dominate large parts of the country, while key atmospheric drivers that normally fuel the monsoon remain unusually weak. Among the biggest concerns is the absence of a strong Somali Jet, a powerful low-level wind current that transports enormous amounts of moisture from the equatorial Indian Ocean toward India during the monsoon season.

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