Pre-monsoon season ends, excess rainfall in Meghalaya and Assam

Guwahati: The pre-monsoon season ended on Tuesday with excess rainfall in Meghalaya, Assam and Manipur since March 1. But the rainfall distribution pattern has been divergent in Mizoram and Tripura where deficit rainfall was experienced in the last three months.
The state-wise rainfall distribution released by the IMD for the northeast on Tuesday stated that Meghalaya recorded the highest 93% departure above normal. The corresponding figure for Assam and Manipur has been 40% and 21% above normal during this period. But in Mizoram and Tripura the same has been 32% and 27% below normal. In Arunachal and Nagaland, though eight per cent and nine per cent rainfall above the normal range was recorded, it has been categorized in the normal range rainfall by IMD.
“Due to good rainfall activities in two main rainfall episodes in April and May, large excess rainfall has been recorded in three northeastern states. NE gets maximum rainfall during pre-monsoon due to thunderstorm activities, which was at its peak during the second week of April this year. A similar rainfall pattern was observed in the region from May 12 to 18,” Sunit Das, a senior scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre of the IMD, told TOI. He added that thunderstorm activities were less in Mizoram and Tripura, resulting in comparatively less rainfall. Das, however, said it may not be due to climate change. “The northeast is prone to thunderstorms but such variation in one or two states in a year cannot be attributed to climate change and a study of a longer period needs to be done,” said Das.
In the monthly outlook for rainfall for June, issued by the IMD on Tuesday, normal or above normal rainfall is most likely over many parts of northwest and central India, northern parts of south peninsula and some parts of east India. However, it said below normal rainfall is most likely over many parts of NE, some pockets of central and east India and southern parts of south peninsular India.