India is possibly facing a late and dry south-western monsoon, with meteorologists warning of a delayed onset and dry spells, especially in many regions in the north.

The first batch of monsoonal rains hit south India last week, but their progress over the northern region and the north-west has been erratic, experts say.

“The seasonal forecast is that the monsoon is normal, but going by its initial occurrence it could be sluggish as it moves up,” says Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

“A delayed progress might aggravate water and food security of those regions in the north.”