Southwest monsoon records highest rainfall in 25 years

Guwahati: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday informed that southwest monsoon has come to an end with above “normal rainfall” with a long period average (LPA) of 110%, which is the highest season rainfall received by the country as a whole after 1994.

Meanwhile, after 102 years, this September recorded the second-highest rainfall — 152% of LPA against 165% in 1917. And, after 2010, this is the first time, rainfalls during all the last three months (July to September) were above LPA.

Further, it observed that “during 18 of the last 19 years (2001-2019), Northeast India received seasonal rainfall less than LPA with an exception of 2007 (110% of LPA). This indicates that the seasonal rainfall over Northeast is passing through a below normal epoch like it was during the early 1950s to mid-1980s, the IMD noted.

Most states have received normal or above normal and some even recorded excess rainfall this season.

Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh: NSCN-R militant killed in 2-hr-long gun battle

According to reports, some states remained rainfall deficient, including Manipur (-56%), Haryana (- 42%), Delhi (-35%) and Jammu and Kashmir (- 21%). States that recorded excess rain were Madhya Pradesh (44%), Gujarat (43%), Maharashtra (23%), Karnataka (32%) and Sikkim (22%).

The weakening of El Nino in early July helped the monsoon regain strength after a delayed onset and rainfall in June being 33% short of normal.

It also announced the withdrawal of southwest monsoon which is likely to commence from Northwest India around October 10 against the normal date of September 1.

In a tweet, IMD said: “The most delayed withdrawal in the past years has been recorded in 1961 (1st October 1961), followed by 30th September in 2007.”