Maharashtra recorded 16% surplus this monsoon season: IMD

Barring July, overall rainfall activity over the state was well distributed, and consecutive formation of low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal brought rain from time to time.

Maharashtra recorded 16 per cent surplus rainfall during the monsoon season – with a majority of districts recording either normal or more than normal rain from June to September, the India Meteorological Department on Wednesday said.

Only three districts – Akola (-27 per cent), Yavatmal (-24 per cent) and Amravati (-20 per cent) remained rain deficit this year, as the season ended on September 30.

Meanwhile, Marathwada, which normally receives the least rainfall in comparison to Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Vidarbha, received surplus rainfall this year.

In Pune city, the Shivajinagar observatory recorded 794.9 mm against a normal of 566.3 mm, whereas Lohegaon recorded a surplus of 307 mm during the June-September season.

Barring July, overall rainfall activity over the state was well distributed, and consecutive formation of low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal brought rain from time to time. Flood-like situations prevailed over parts of Marathwada and Konkan during this season.

“Since the severe cyclonic storm Nisarga, which formed in June and caused rain over western Maharashtra, rain picked up only in August. However, favourable weather systems kept the momentum going through September, which experienced more frequent thunder activity,” an official from IMD, Pune said.

All sub-divisions in the state – Marathwada (30 per cent), Madhya Maharashtra (29 per cent), Konkan (27 per cent) and Vidarbha (- 10 per cent), have recorded normal rain.

As per the latest Extended Range Prediction released on Thursday, monsoon withdrawal has been pushed to the second week of October, as against a normal commencement around October 5.

This year saw the third wettest monsoon since 1990s

In three decades, this year’s monsoon remained the third wettest over India. In this season, which ended on September 30, the country recorded season rainfall of 958 mm, as against a normal of 880 mm, making it 109 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).

Similar wet years were recorded in 1994 (112 per cent of LPA) and 2019 (110 per cent of LPA). The IMD, on Thursday, noted that it is after a gap of 62 years that India has recorded above normal rainfall in two consecutive monsoons. Earlier, this had happened in 1958 and 1959.

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