Maharashtra likely to receive above-normal rainfall

NEW DELHI: Large parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal — the core monsoon zone of the country where agriculture is largely rain-fed — are expected to receive normal to above-normal monsoon rainfall this year.

Even as Akola recorded the season's highest temperature in Vidarbha at 43.7°C on Tuesday, officials from the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) predicted above-normal southwest monsoon rainfall across Maharashtra, including the Vidarbha region.

The forecast is in line with the long-range monsoon outlook issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for 2025. According to IMD, the Long Period Average (LPA) of seasonal rainfall over Vidarbha is likely to be 105%, with a model error margin of ±5%, similar to the rest of the country.

Akola's temperature touched a scorching 43.7°C, while Nagpur saw a rise to 41.4°C after a brief dip below 40°C in recent days. Several other districts across the region also recorded temperatures above 41°C.