The Hindu Business Line : Rainfall figures back to normal

Weathermen expect that the `normal' would be retained on September 30, which marks the end of the season. The long-range forecaster India Meteorological Department had said in April that it expected the season to end `just below normal' (93 per cent of the long period average).

June Update

In a later update in June, this was cut down further to 92 per cent of the long period average. But a hyper active Bay of Bengal and a string of monsoon `low's and depressions spinning into land went on to dump excess rainfall in some regions where it was least expected.

Rainfall figures had left behind a seasonal deficit of 1 per cent when statistics were collated last on September 20. This was made good during the following week when a rainfall surplus of 12 per cent was recorded in the west, east and northeast of the country.

RAINFALL FIGURES

The actual rainfall received during the period June 1-September 27 was 878.6 mm against a seasonal normal of 879.8 mm. Six met divisions in the country recorded excess rainfall, while 20 fell in the `normal' category and 10 in the `deficient.'

Western Uttar Pradesh (-43 per cent); Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh (-38 per cent); and Assam and Meghalaya (-37 per cent) topped the rain-deficit list. The entire Northeast, and Tamil Nadu (-23 per cent) and Adaman and Nicobar (-26 per cent) in the south, were among those making up the rear.

SKEWED DISTRIBUTION

The monsoon has already withdrawn from the North and Northwest. There is an outside chance that the Northeast makes some gains from the odd Bay of Bengal `low' that recurves and drifts into the north.

The distribution of rainfall has been skewed this season, with more than 200 districts receiving either deficient or scanty rainfall.

On the other hand, the usually dry west and northwest regions of the country were subjected to some record-breaking rainfall. West Rajasthan and Saurashtra and Kutch are examples.

DEPRESSION IN BAY

Meanwhile, the well marked `low' in the Bay of Bengal concentrated into a depression (05B) on Thursday evening itself and was bracing for landfall on the Orissa coast on Friday. Widespread rainfall has been forecast in Orissa, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, north Telengana, Gangetic West Bangal and Chhattisgarh.

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