Largely ‘dry’ monsoon ends in surplus rain in Gurugram

Gurugram: For the second consecutive year, September ended on a positive note with excess rainfall, taking monsoon precipitation to surplus in Gurugram.
Between June 1 and September 30, the city saw cumulative rainfall of 593.9mm — 21% higher than the normal of 489.2mm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
It is, however, lower than last year, when monsoon rainfall was 47% surplus (738.9mm).
What the data masks, though, is this monsoon’s long run of dry days. Though September ended in excess rainfall (282.7mm), of which 267mm rains came in a 96-hour period last week between September 21 and 24, that period also accounted for nearly 50% of the total monsoon rainfall this year. June saw just 37.8mm rain with a deficit of 20%, July somewhat compensated with 208.4mm rain (a 19% surplus), while August, which is usually the wettest month of the year, disappointed with only 65mm rain, a deficit of 65%.
Meanwhile, the state received 464.8mm of rainfall this monsoon against the normal of 426mm, a 9% surplus. “Overall, this monsoon was normal for Haryana. This year, it approached the state within its normal time. June saw some rain and there was continuous rainfall in July, though August saw few showers. While the first two weeks of September were dry, by the last week of the month, any shortfall was met not just in Gurugram, but the entire state. During the last spell of rain, southern parts of Haryana, including Gurugram, received the most rainfall because of the formation of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal,” Manmohan Singh, the director of IMD (Chandigarh), said.
Across the state, Fatehabad recorded the maximum rain surplus — 113% — with 558.6mm rain, followed by Hisar with 450.4mm rain (50%). Jind received 544mm of rainfall this monsoon, a surplus of 43%.
Monsoon officially hit the region on June 30 this year. While the season, which generally lasts from June 1 to September 30, has ended, IMD is yet to declare its withdrawal from the city.