Climate knowledge for farming
Climate for Farmers
See how rainfall and temperature have changed in your area. Use past patterns to understand the season and plan better.
Past climate data is not a forecast and it is not farming advice. Before you decide on sowing, irrigation or spraying, check the latest IMD forecasts and the agromet advisories for your district, and local advice that fits your crop and soil.
Season and place
Rain in the season
Share of the year’s rain
Typical daytime high
Latest complete season
When does your area usually get rain?
Month-by-month numbers
Know your farming seasons
- Kharif · July to OctoberThe rainy-season crops, grown during the south-west monsoon.
- Rabi · October to MarchThe winter crops. The season runs across the new year, and we count it by the year it starts.
- Zaid (summer) · March to JuneThe summer crops, between the Rabi harvest and the Kharif sowing.
IMD weather seasons and sources
- Winter · January to February
- Pre-monsoon · March to May
- Monsoon (south-west) · June to September
- Post-monsoon · October to December
There are three common cropping seasons in India. The months below are the ones the Government of India's Indian Economic Service gives on its Arthapedia site (Kharif July to October, Rabi October to March, summer crops March to June). Real sowing and harvest times differ from crop to crop and from state to state, and the seasons overlap, so these months are only used here to group our monthly figures. Sources: Cropping seasons of India, Arthapedia, Indian Economic Service (for Kharif, Rabi and summer crops); Glossary, India Meteorological Department (for the four weather seasons). Both were opened on 4 November 2026. Arthapedia: Cropping seasons (opens in a new tab) · IMD glossary (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
What can farmers learn here?
Rainfall patterns
Check when rain is usually more or less in your area, and how recent seasons compare with the usual.
Explore rainfall historyHeat and hot days
See the typical daytime high of each season and how recent seasons compare with the usual.
Explore temperatureCompare years
See how recent seasons compare with earlier years, season by season.
Then vs NowFor better planning
- Understand the usual rain and temperature pattern of your area.
- Check the official forecasts and the district agromet advisories before you decide.
- Take advice that fits your own crop, soil and field.
Official advice and useful reports
Current IMD forecasts and agromet advisories should guide farm decisions.
View official advice → (opens in a new tab) Download climate report
All official forecast and advisory links
Official forecasts and farm advisories
These are the official pages of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Government of India. They open in a new tab. We checked on 4 November 2026 that each page opens; their content changes every day.
- IMD Agromet Advisory Services (home) (opens in a new tab)
- National agromet advisory bulletin (opens in a new tab)
- District agromet advisory bulletins (opens in a new tab)
- District weather forecast for farmers (IMD) (opens in a new tab)
- All India weather forecast bulletin (IMD) (opens in a new tab)
- IMD district warnings (opens in a new tab)
- Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (opens in a new tab)
Season by season: the last ten seasons
Season by season
Seasons in India and IMD monsoon figures
Seasons in India: the usual and the latest
Whole of India, model estimate. Usual means the 1991 to 2020 average. Rain is a rough model estimate with low confidence; IMD’s gauge-based figures are the official ones.
| Season | Months | Usual rain (mm) | Usual average temperature | Latest complete season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kharif | July to October | 893 | 25.7 °C | Kharif 2025: 1,051 mm (118% of usual), 0.1 °C above usual |
| Rabi | October to March | 204 | 19.9 °C | Rabi 2025: 209 mm (103% of usual), 0.1 °C above usual |
| Zaid (summer) | March to June | 334 | 27.2 °C | Zaid (summer) 2026: 260 mm (78% of usual), 0.4 °C above usual |
| Monsoon (IMD) | June to September | 994 | 26.9 °C | Monsoon (IMD) 2026: 931 mm (94% of usual), 0.6 °C above usual (includes early figures) |
| Winter (IMD) | January to February | 40 | 17.5 °C | Winter (IMD) 2026: 18 mm (43% of usual), 0.4 °C above usual |
| Pre-monsoon (IMD) | March to May | 146 | 26.7 °C | Pre-monsoon (IMD) 2026: 143 mm (98% of usual), 0.3 °C above usual |
| Post-monsoon (IMD) | October to December | 134 | 20.3 °C | Post-monsoon (IMD) 2025: 157 mm (117% of usual), 0.3 °C below usual |
India's monsoon rain, as published by IMD
IMD measures monsoon (June to September) rain for the whole country with rain gauges and prints it as a percentage of the long period average. These are IMD's own figures, copied as printed. They are for the whole of India, not for your place.
| Year | Monsoon rain, % of long period average (IMD) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 87% |
| 2025 | 108% |
| 2024 | 108% |
| 2023 | 95% |
| 2022 | 106.5% |
| 2021 | 99% |
| 2020 | 109% |
| 2019 | 110% |
| 2018 | 91% |
| 2017 | 95% |
Source: India Meteorological Department (IMD), Long range forecasts from 1989-2025 (forecast verification table, 'Actual (% of LPA)' column), 1989 to 2025, link (opens in a new tab). Source: India Meteorological Department (IMD), Salient Features of the 2026 Southwest Monsoon Season, 2026, link (opens in a new tab). IMD has not endorsed this page.
What this page does not show, and common questions
What this page does not show
- Dry spells
- Not available. They need daily rain checked against rain gauges, which we do not have yet.
- Heavy-rain days
- Not available, for the same reason.
- Counts of very hot days
- Not shown on this page. Where we have an estimate for a city, it is on the Climate page with its error stated.
- Crop advice, sowing dates, irrigation, yield and price
- Not given. They need local crop and soil information.
- District figures
- Not available. The data covers cities and states.
Common questions
Can I use this page to decide my sowing date?
No. Past rain and temperature show what the season has usually been like. The weather of the coming days and weeks is given by IMD forecasts and your district's agromet advisory.
Why are the rain figures called low confidence?
Monthly rain here comes from a computer model. It follows wet and dry years but smooths out downpours, so it is a rough estimate. IMD's gauge-based figures are the official ones.
Why is Rabi counted by the year it starts?
The Rabi season runs from October to March. A season that starts in October 2024 ends in March 2025 and is called Rabi 2024.
Why do two seasons share some months?
Seasons overlap in real life, for example Kharif and Rabi both include October. Each season is worked out on its own.
Why not the district?
Our data package has the states and 143 cities, not districts. We show the nearest city or the state average and say so.
Data to September 2026. Figures from July 2026 onwards are early and can change a little. Refreshed about every three months. “Usual” means the 1991 to 2020 average. See Data sources and methods.
Related: Climate reports and downloads · Data sources and methods · Climate safety · Rain on the Climate page