An Indian woman, holding her child, walks as monsoon clouds gather in the sky at Delhpur village, outskirts of Allahabad, India, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. The monsoon rains which usually hit India from June to September are crucial for farmers whose crops feed hundreds of millions of people. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
The United States isn't the only part of the world having drought and heat destroy crops this year.
The late and weak start to the Indian Monsoon may spell disaster for parts of southern India, where rainfall totals are running well below average this monsoon season.
It was obvious early on during the monsoon season that this years event would be delayed, and possibly weak as a large mass of dry air held tight over the western Bay of Bengal.
Rainfall totals so far this month tell the story. Much of Indian Agriculture is located across the Deccan Plateau, northern through the western Central Highlands and into the semi-arid region in the northwest. So far for July, Bangalore has only had 8 percent of their normal precipitation. Hyderabad, farther north has only had 21 percent of theirs.
Among the crops that are grown in the region, corn, cotton, sugarcane and peanuts are among the most significant to the regional and national economies.
If the monsoon doesn't show a major improvement over the coming weeks, the result will be food shortages and a major economic toll. And given the developing crisis across the Corn Belt of the United States, food prices worldwide may be impacted.
Some relief may be on the way however. Current modeling shows that areas in the northern part of the potential drought area will be having some monsoonal moisture over the coming week, mainly over the Central Highlands towards the semi-arid regions.
Southern India however looks to continue to remain drier than normal, and they may have missed their chance for significant rainfall this half of the monsoon.
Severe thunderstorms with the risk of a few tornadoes will advance eastward across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest into Friday.
A dangerous outbreak of severe storms will strike the northern High Plains and Canadian Prairies on Wednesday.
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Evacuations and closed roads as wildfires continue to burn across the United States.
Join us on Thursday for AccuWeather LIVE as we will discuss the debate of climate change and hurricane frequency and the top five things you need to know about summer weather.
A hot and humid weekend is shaping up for Chicagoland just in time for the official start of summer, while severe thunderstorms fire nearby to the north.
Tropical Storm Barry formed over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and may hit the Mexico state of Veracruz Thursday.
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
Southeast China (1932)
Hailstorm in Hunan Province killed 20 people
and injured thousands of others.
Custer Creek, MT (1938)
Cloudburst; 48 killed in a train wreck.
Iowa (1998)
3-4" rains common across the state.
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