Goa has just en dured its most rain-starved southwest monsoon in nearly half a century, with the 2026 season ending at a staggering 31.7 per cent rainfall deficit — the worst recorded in the India Me teorological Department’s 1980-2026 dataset. The State received only 2,055.4 mm of rain between June 1 and September 30 against the normal 3,007.8 mm, leaving a shortfall of 952.4 mm. What makes the deficit particularly stark is that there was no recovery in any month. All four months recorded defi cient rainfall, with September emerging as the worst, ending 44 per cent below normal. June recorded a 34.6 per cent deficit, July 33.4 per cent and August 20 per cent.
The season’s shortfall was also sharply uneven across the State, with North Goa taking the bigger hit. It recorded a deficit of 36.8 per cent, receiving 1,950.9 mm against its normal 3,085.5 mm. South Goa fared relatively better but still ended 26.9 per cent below normal, with 2,147.7 mm against 2,939.2 mm. The 2026 deficit has pushed Goa past its previous worst monsoon shortfalls in the IMD’s dataset. The earlier record was 29 per cent in 2006, followed by 23 per cent in 1986, 21 per cent in 2015 and 19 per cent in 2018. The contrast was particularly pronounced at individual rain-gauge stations. Valpoi recorded the highest rainfall at 2,836.7 mm, followed by Dharbandora at 2,806.8 mm and Sanguem at 2,634.8 mm. At the other end of the scale, Panjim recorded just 1,385 mm, the low est among the 14 stations listed by the IMD.
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Mormugao received 1,527.1 mm, Dabolim 1,575.1 mm and Mapusa 1,582.2 mm. The season’s failure comes after three consecutive surplus monsoons, making the reversal particularly sharp. In 2025, Goa had received 3,135 mm, or 104 per cent of its long-period average, according to the IMD. The IMD described the 2026 monsoon over Goa as one marked by per sistent rainfall deficiency throughout the four-month season, coupled with substantial spatial variation in rainfall. The State’s performance was also considerably worse than the national picture. India as a whole ended the 2026 monsoon with rainfall around 12.6-13 per cent below normal, according to the IMD, with the deficient season linked in part to El Niño conditions.
