The monsoon is not over yet. But rainfall this season has not been evenly spread across India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast below-normal rainfall for the June-September monsoon season, with the season expected to remain below the normal level.
The rainfall recorded in Delhi so far this monsoon also shows why the seasonal total does not tell the whole story. But the daily rainfall figures show that the rain has not been evenly distributed. So, even though Delhi’s cumulative rainfall was in the normal range, the rain did not arrive at a steady pace. A few heavy spells contributed a significant share of the rainfall received during the season.
From June to August, Delhi’s rainfall departure stood at 14 per cent, which falls in IMD’s normal category. On July 9, Delhi received 72.6 mm of rain. On August 8, rainfall reached 98.7 mm, while August 25 recorded 99.1 mm. On several other days, rainfall was below 5 mm, or there was no measurable rainfall.
The state-wise figures show similar differences. Only three States and Union Territories in the data recorded excess rainfall: Ladakh (195 per cent), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (45 per cent) and Odisha (26 per cent).
