In August, India saw an increase in rainfall of about 16% above normal, with Northwest India receiving 253.9 mm of rainfall, which is the second highest rainfall since 2001, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
During a virtual press conference, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the Director General of IMD, stated that the country received 287.1 mm of rainfall in August, as opposed to the average of 248.1 mm.
From the onset of the monsoon season on June 1, India has received 749 mm of precipitation, compared to the normal 701 mm.
Due to the movement of most low-pressure systems and the monsoon trough being south of their usual positions, several districts in the Himalayan foothills and the northeast experienced below-normal rainfall, as mentioned by the IMD chief.
The northeast, Kerala, and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra experienced deficient rainfall, according to the IMD chief.
The IMD chief highlighted that in August, there were six low-pressure systems, two of which intensified into monsoon depression or deep depression. This August saw 17 low-pressure system days, compared to the normal 16.3 days.
From August 10 to August 22, good rainfall was observed over northern and adjacent central India, parts of eastern India, and the extreme southern peninsula, particularly Tamil Nadu, as the monsoon trough remained along its normal position. From August 23 to August 31, very heavy rainfall occurred over central and western parts of India as the trough shifted south of its normal position.
Despite an increasing trend of break days during the month, Mohapatra said that no-break monsoon conditions were observed in August this year.
He said the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) was very active during the second half of the month, leading to good rainfall over the Indian region.
MJO is a large-scale atmospheric disturbance that originates in tropical Africa and travels eastward. It typically lasts 30 to 60 days.
Follow us
