Kathmandu, July 10 -- Every day, an elderly man from Kapilvastu district dials the landline number of the Meteorological Forecasting Division to inquire about rain updates. The office had forecast above-normal rainfall for the ongoing monsoon.

The man shares his worries with officials about withering paddy saplings in the seedbeds and expresses fear of an impending food shortage for his family.

"Almost every morning, he calls us and asks us where the rain is," said Pratibha Manandhar, a senior meteorologist at the division. "He reminds us of our seasonal forecast, which stated that there would be above average rainfall in the western parts of the Lumbini province, and asks us how long it will take for the rain to arrive."

It has alread...