IMD predicts above normal rainfall in September, heavy precipitation in northwest India

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is anticipated in the northwest region, including Uttarakhand, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and the adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh.

India is likely to experience above normal rainfall in September, with heavy to very heavy precipitation expected in northwest India and the surrounding areas, cautioned India Meteorological Department (IMD)

Addressing a virtual press conference on August 31, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that the country is expected to receive above normal rainfall in September, at 109 percent of the long-period average of 167.9 mm.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is anticipated in the northwest region, including Uttarakhand, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and the adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh.

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The country ended August with a cumulative rainfall of 6.9 percent above normal since start of the monsoon season.

"Above normal rainfall is likely over most parts of India, except for some areas in extreme northwest India, many parts of the southern peninsula, northern Bihar, and northeastern Uttar Pradesh, as well as most of northeast India, where below normal rainfall is expected," the IMD chief said.

The monsoon trough is expected to remain in its normal position, with the possibility of several low-pressure systems developing in the Bay of Bengal, which may travel towards west-northwest up to Rajasthan. The trough could also shift towards the foothills of the Himalayas, and there is a potential for a western disturbance to affect the region in September, Mohapatra said.

India’s rainfall surplus widened further to 7.3 percent above normal on September 1, as Andhra Pradesh and Telangana received excess rain, as per IMD data.

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