Monsoon ends with 9 per cent surplus

Rainfall during June and September remained normal over the country. (File)

The rainfall recorded in India was 8.7 per cent above normal during the monsoon season which ended on Wednesday, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This season, the country recorded 957.6mm as against a normal of 880.6mm.

After the four month-long season, seven states and union territories, including Jammu and Kashmir (-34 per cent), Ladakh (-67 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (-26 per cent), Uttarakhand and Delhi (-20 per cent each), Manipur (-47 per cent), Nagaland (-26 per cent) and Mizoram (-34 per cent), remained rainfall deficient.

The overall season, however, was good for the country as a whole and was in-line with IMD’s predictions for the season. “Except for the rainfall during the last 10 days in September, the rainfall was close to the predictions,” said D S Pai, head of the Climate Research and Services at IMD.

Though conditions for the commencement of withdrawal were brewing, rainfall received in many parts of the country since September 11 remained normal to above normal.

Recording 26.6 per cent surplus rain over the country, August turned out to be the wettest month in 44 years, whereas July, with 9.7 per cent deficit, was the driest among the four months. Rainfall during June and September remained normal over the country.

IMD officials stated that during this season, there were 12 low-pressure systems that prevailed for 55 days, causing very good rain that was well distributed spatially. It helped push the seasonal rain above normal.

Besides, it was a good start to monsoon season, which saw Severe Cyclonic Storm Nisarga form in the Arabian Sea in early June, that brought widespread rain all along the west coast.

On Wednesday, IMD stated that the monsoon had fully withdrawn from the entire western Himalayan region, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, some parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

During the next two to three days, the withdrawal would enter parts of Madhya Pradesh and cover the rest of Uttar Pradesh, according to IMD’s daily weather bulletin.

“Now, the monsoon withdrawal will pick up pace and between October 5 and 12, it will withdraw from Maharashtra,” said Pai.

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