NEW DELHI, Aug 31: India is likely to receive above-normal rainfall in September, capping a season that has already seen several disasters triggered by heavy downpours in many parts of the country.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday that the monthly average rainfall in September is expected to be more than 109 per cent of the long-period average of 167.9 mm.
The forecast suggests most regions will get normal to above-normal rainfall, while some parts of the northeast and east, many areas of extreme south peninsular India and pockets of northwest India are likely to record below-normal rain.
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Addressing an online press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned that heavy rainfall in September may trigger landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand and could disrupt normal life in south Haryana, Delhi and north Rajasthan.
“Many rivers originate in Uttarakhand. So, heavy rainfall means many rivers will be flooded and it will impact cities and towns downstream. So, we should keep this in mind,” he said.
He added that heavy rainfall is also expected in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi river in Chhattisgarh.
Mohapatra said there is a slight increasing trend in September rainfall since 1980, barring less rainfall in the month in 1986, 1991, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015 and 2019.
He said the normal date for the start of monsoon withdrawal from Rajasthan has shifted from September 1 to September 17, which itself indicates that rainfall activity in September has increased.
“September is a transitional month when the season moves towards the post-monsoon phase. With the withdrawal delayed, the chances of interaction between the monsoon and western disturbances rise. The frequency of these disturbances also increases as winter approaches. As a result of these encounters, September rainfall is showing an increasing trend,” the IMD chief said.
India received 743.1 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 31, about 6 per cent above the long-period average of 700.7 mm, IMD data show.
June rainfall was 180 mm, around 9 per cent above normal, with large surpluses in northwest and central India. July brought 294.1 mm, around 5 per cent above normal, led by a 22 per cent surplus in central India. August added 268.1 mm, 5.2 per cent above normal.(PTI)
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