India’s southwest monsoon ended with rainfall 13 per cent below normal, the fourth-lowest seasonal rainfall recorded since 2001, the weather department said.

The country received 759.4 mm of rain against a normal of 868.6 mm between June 1 and September 30, the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. That is 87.4 per cent of the long-period average.

It is the first deficient season since 2015. The department classifies rainfall 10 per cent or more below average as deficient.

The monsoon arrived in Kerala on June 4, three days late, and stayed weak through June with a deficit of 35 per cent. Heavy late-season rain narrowed the gap.

Officials blamed the El Nino weather pattern for the weak rainfall. The department has forecast below-normal rain for October and above-normal temperatures.

Kharif sowing fell by about 1.5 million hectares, with rice acreage down 3.7 per cent. Farmers and policymakers are watching the impact on farm output and food prices.