India's 2026 monsoon blankets country despite powerful El Nino
India's 2026 monsoon is breaking expectations.
Despite a powerful Godzilla El Nino, usually a recipe for dry weather, satellite images from July show nearly the whole country blanketed with clouds.
Scientists say this is thanks to several overlapping weather systems and local factors shaking things up.
Indian Ocean Dipole offsets El Nino
Turns out, an active monsoon trough and repeated low-pressure systems over the Bay of Bengal are pulling in loads of moisture from both the Bay and the Arabian Sea.
Plus, a negative Indian Ocean Dipole is actually making some regions wetter, pushing back against El Nino's usual drying effect.
Still, rainfall isn't even everywhere: while some places are getting drenched, others are stuck with a 21% deficit according to IMD data.
Scientists are keeping a close eye as the season unfolds.