Weather & Science

Erratic Weather Is Hurting Indian Firms in The Biggest Consumer Market

People take shelter as it rains in New Delhi on June 17.Photographer: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images

Some of India’s largest companies, already hit by a demand slump, are facing a new threat in wooing the country’s 1.4 billion consumers: unpredictable weather.

A cooler-than-usual summer this year — followed by the earliest onset of rain since 2009 — has hurt companies selling everything from talcum powder to air conditioners.