After deluge last year, Pune close to being rain deficient in July

PUNE: July, so far, has been rainfall deficient for several districts including Pune, Satara and Nashik unlike last year’s flood situation during the same month.

With just 10 days for the month to end, the rainfall quantum in these districts from July 1 to 21 has been meagre, causing a 25%-32% deficiency.

The subdued monsoon during most part of the month has resulted in less than normal rain in seven districts of Maharashtra from July 1 to 21, including Pune, Satara, Nashik, Nandurbar, Gondia, Gadchiroli and Bhandara.
When the rainfall quantum from June 1 is considered, all these districts, except Nandurbar and Gondia, show normal rains, though Satara had already begun recording negative departures from June 1 itself till now.
Pune and Nashik are inching closer to being deficient. India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast on Tuesday said a short-lived revival could be witnessed in Maharashtra from July 23 to 25.
Anupam Kashyapi, head (weather), IMD, Pune told TOI there have been no strong systems affecting the rainfall positively in the case of major parts of Maharashtra and some other parts of the country during July.
Various smaller systems like upper air cyclonic circulations, oscillating, short-lived shear zones and a feeble offshore trough did appear during the month, but they did not result in much rainfall especially in Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha, he said
“Rainfall during June was so good that many districts could escape deficiencies in July. In July too, these seven districts may have received less rainfall in the city areas, but rainfall in the region within a 50km radius outside was relatively better as ghat areas received isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall from time to time,” Kashyapi added.
The offshore trough did not develop properly during July, while the monsoon trough shifting towards the foothills of the Himalayas for most of the month so far also resulted in deficient July rains in some districts.
“We expect the monsoon to become active over Maharashtra again for a short period from July 23 to 25. A cyclonic circulation over Lakshadweep-Maldives area and adjoining southeast Arabian Sea is gradually expected to move northwards. The westerly wind speed is also expected to pick up with more moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea which may cause a short period of rainfall revival in parts of the state,” he said.
G P Sharma, president of Skymet Weather Services, told TOI that systems forming over the Bay of Bengal drive rain over Madhya Maharashtra, but these systems have been fewer this season which has caused July rainfall deficiency in some districts in the region.
“Madhya Maharashtra is on the leeward side of the Western Ghats with districts like Pune, Sangli, Satara, Ahmednagar and Nandurbar in the rain shadow region. This means a rainfall deficiency of even 10-15% matters,” he added.