monsoon-likely-to-weaken-after-aug-23-says-imd

The southwest monsoon remained active over Himachal Pradesh over the past 24 hours, bringing heavy to very heavy rain to several areas. However, the weather system is expected to weaken considerably across the state after August 23, IMD Himachal Pradesh head Shobhit Katiyar said on Wednesday.

 

Katiyar said several parts of the state received moderate to heavy rain during the period. The plains of Bilaspur and Hamirpur recorded around 12-13 cm of rainfall. Heavy rain was also reported in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Solan and Mandi, while other districts received moderate showers.

 

He said the monsoon would remain active in some parts of the state for the next three days. However, rainfall activity is expected to drop sharply after August 23.

 

Katiyar said an orange alert had been issued for Kangra and Una for Wednesday due to the possibility of heavy rain in the lower and middle hills. Rainfall is expected to ease from Thursday, although some areas of Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, Una and Bilaspur may still receive moderate to heavy showers.

 

On August 21, rain is likely to become limited to a few areas. Moderate showers may occur in Una, Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur, while most other districts are likely to see no major weather activity, he said.

 

"After August 23, there is no weather warning for the state. The monsoon will remain weak, though isolated places may receive light rain. There is no possibility of severe weather for around the next 45 days," Katiyar said.

 

Giving an update on the overall monsoon situation, Katiyar said Himachal Pradesh had recorded a 7 per cent rainfall deficit between June 1 and August 18. He said the state normally receives around 535 mm of rain during this period but had received only about 500 mm so far, which is around 7 per cent below normal.

 

Katiyar said rainfall in June was around 35 per cent below normal, while July recorded above-normal rainfall. From August 1 to 18, the state received around 8 per cent less rainfall than normal. He said the rainfall deficit for August could increase further as rain activity is expected to decline sharply after August 21-23.

Katiyar said the IMD had earlier forecast relatively weak monsoon activity across most parts of Himachal Pradesh during the season. Rainfall was expected to remain around 9 per cent below normal or lower, he added.