New Delhi, May 29 -- May is typically synonymous with rising mercury levels and heatwaves across India. But May 2025 has surprisingly defied expectations of scorching temperatures. While it might be an exaggeration to call it spring-like, large swathes of the country have seen persistent rainfall - a stark contrast to the usual blistering summer.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the wetter-than-usual May 2025 is the result of an earlier-than-usual onset of the southwest monsoon winds, coupled with frequent instances of western disturbances. Between five and seven western disturbances were recorded in the month - well above the norm.

Western disturbances (WD) are extratropical storms originating over the Medi...