After 16% Rainfall Deficit In August, IMD Says Sept To Remain Below Normal As Well, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• India recorded a 16% rainfall deficit in August, making it the seventh largest deficiency for the month since 2001.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts September rainfall to be less than 91% of normal.
• The overall seasonal rainfall for June to September is projected to remain below 90% of the Long Period Average (LPA).
• The El Nino phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific Ocean is identified as a primary reason for the deficit.
• As of August, 312 out of 741 districts (42%) experienced deficient rains.

Detailed Insights:

• August is the second rainiest month of the monsoon season, contributing 29% of the total seasonal rainfall, following July which accounts for 32%.
• Despite the development of four low-pressure systems in August, their rainfall activity was largely concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic Plains.
• Regionally, the Southern peninsula faced a significant rainfall deficit of over 27% in August.
• Central India and the Eastern and Northeastern regions both experienced a deficiency of approximately 16%.
• The Northwestern region recorded rainfall about 10% less than its normal for August.
• For September, normal rainfall is anticipated only in specific areas such as Odisha, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Ladakh.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• India Meteorological Department (IMD): The principal government agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology in India.
• El Nino: A climate pattern characterized by the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, impacting global weather patterns.
• Long Period Average (LPA): A 50-year average of monsoon rainfall for the entire country, used as a benchmark to classify monsoon performance as normal, above normal, or below normal.