Despite delay, monsoon showers bless district

Coimbatore: Though June saw delayed onset of the southwest monsoon, July has been the wettest the district has seen in the last four years.
The district recorded 83.5mm rainfall in July, the highest since 2017.
Despite the late arrival of rain and a relatively dry June, Coimbatore has already recorded nine rainy days and 106mm rainfall. Going by the normal pattern of the southwest monsoon, the district may get excess rainfall this year.
Weather experts had predicted 194mm southwest monsoon rain normal rainfall with a slight excess of around 10% here this year. Data shows that the district has already received 54% of the predicted rain.
“Historic data, over the last 50 years, shows the southwest monsoon intensifying in August and even more in September,” said director of the Agro Climate Research Centre of the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University S P Ramanathan. “Looking at that pattern, the district will continue to receive more rain in August and September, which will take rainfall beyond 194mm,” he told TOI.
Though the district has seen many cloudy days, it did not seem to match the number of rainy days. “Wind movement was not adequate, but it will pick up around mid-August,” said Ramanathan.
The development of a cyclonic system near the coast of Tamil Nadu and near South Andhra Pradesh is likely to pull moisture, said Skymet Weather Services’ chief meteorologist Mahesh Palawat. “Once the cyclone dies down, monsoon winds may pick up around August 6 and bring rain on and off through the next two months.”
The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, which manages the Siruvani Dam, said the dam level increased from 2ft to 14.33ft in the last one month. “So, we have increased our supply to the corporation to more than 55 MLD,” said an engineer.
Vegetable farmers in Thondamuthur are also relieved. “Rain will improve production and quality of produce," said R Saravanan, a brinjal and lady’s finger farmer at Theethipalayam.