Monsoon Updates | Highest rainfall deficiency in Odisha in 23 years

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Odisha recorded its highest rainfall deficiency this monsoon in over two decades, the Meteorological Centre has said, amid fears that the dry spell could trigger a drought in the state.

Odisha received only 661.1 mm of rain between June 1 and August 31 this year against a normal of 935.8 mm, a deficiency of 29 percent, the MeT Centre said.

Three districts in Delhi have recorded "large excess" rainfall since the monsoon season began on June 1, owing to intense bursts of rain in the last two days, officials said.

The city has recorded 229.8 mm rainfall since August 31 morning, surpassing the September average of 129.8mm precipitation by a big margin. Usually, it gauges only 16.7 mm rainfall on the first two days of the month.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi recorded 117.7 mm rainfall in 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Thursday, the highest on a day in September in 19 years.

This is the second day on the trot that the national capital recorded more than 100 mm rainfall in a day. The city had gauged 112.1 mm rainfall in 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Wednesday.

The IMD measures monsoon performance in five categories -- large excess (rainfall above 60 percent of normal), excess (20 percent to 59 percent more than average), normal (minus 19 to 19 percent of normal), deficit (minus 20 percent to minus 59 percent) and large deficit (60 percent below normal).

On an average, Delhi has logged 986.2mm this monsoon season so far, which is 82 percent more than normal. Central Delhi has got 1,020.9 mm rainfall so far against the long-period average of 582.3 mm.

New Delhi has gauged 795.3 mm precipitation which is 86 percent more than normal. North Delhi has got 963.3 mm rainfall against the usual of 453.4 mm since June 1, according to IMD data.

Only northeast Delhi has recorded "deficit" rainfall -- 368.8 mm against the normal of 582.3 mm. Northwest Delhi has logged 594 mm rainfall, 49 percent more than normal, putting it in the "excess" rainfall category.

Southwest Delhi has got 709.3 mm rainfall, 48 percent more than the long-period average. The city recorded just 10 rainy days in August, the lowest in seven years, and a cumulative rainfall of 214.5 mm, lower than the average of 247 mm.

In July, the national capital gauged 507.1 mm rainfall, which was nearly 141 percent above the long-period average of 210.6 mm. It was also the maximum rainfall in the month since July 2003, and the second highest ever.

Despite the monsoon embracing Delhi only on July 13, making it the most-delayed in 19 years, the national capital had recorded 16 rainy days in the month, the maximum in the last four years. It received 34.8 mm rainfall against the normal of 65.5mm in June.

This was the sixth occasion in the last 120 years when the southwest monsoon rain during the period has been deficient by 29 percent or more, an official release said on Wednesday.

The previous rain-deficient years were 1924 (636.2 mm), 1954 (646.8 mm), 1974 (658.7 mm), 1987 (641.4 mm) and 1998 (657.5 mm), the department said.

The seasonal deficit is mainly due to a large deficiency in August. Rainfall over the state during the month was 204.9 mm against a normal of 366.4 mm, recording a deficiency of 44 percent, it said.

There were only three times in the last 120 years that the August rainfall was less than 204.9 mm -- 1965 (187.3 mm), 1987 (190.3 mm) and 1998 (203.5 mm).

In the three-month period of the current monsoon, only six out of 30 districts in the state were under the normal category and 24 districts under the deficient category. Four districts -- Jajpur, Bhadrak, Bolangir and Angul -- have a deficiency of 40 percent or more, the MeT Centre said.

In August, only four districts recorded normal rainfall, while 18 were under the deficient category. Eight districts -- Boudh, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Angul and Bolangir, Kandhamal, Bargarh and Jajpur -- are under the large deficient category, it said.

Apparently, the absence of depression and less number of low-pressure areas -- only two observed -- over the Bay of Bengal during August caused less rainfall, the weatherman said.

The monsoon trough was also located north of its normal position on most days in August, causing subdued monsoon activities, it said. The India Meteorological Department has forecast that the state would receive normal rainfall of 226.6 mm rainfall in September.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had directed officials to prepare a contingency crop plan and take measures to mitigate farmers' problems.