April records above-average rainfall

As in March, most major cities recorded above-average rainfall in April, which led to temperatures lower than normal. In the national capital, rainfall stood at 28 ml, against the normal of 11.4 ml, 146 per cent higher.

According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and private weather forecaster Skymet, rainfall between March 1 and April 29 was 89 per cent more than normal. For March, the rainfall was about 100 per cent more than normal. In the last week of April (April 23-29), rainfall across the country was 47 per cent more than normal. Of the 36 sub-divisions, 19 have recorded excess rain this week, four have recorded normal rain and five deficient rain. A total of five sub-divisions didn’t receive any rain.

“Frequent passage of western disturbances affected the temperature profile in north India, while induced cyclonic circulations over central and western India kept the temperatures down there,” Skymet said. It added in the South, maximum temperatures didn’t rise on account of wind discontinuity, a monsoon trough and easterly winds blowing over the region.

“In the wake of these weather systems, rain activity also surpassed the monthly normal rainfall by at least two to three times,” it added.

Apart from Delhi, average rainfall in Amritsar, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kota, Nagpur and Hyderabad was also above normal. The average maximum temperature for most of these cities was below the normal for April.

Though above-normal rainfall in March and April hit the rabi harvest in the country, it has had a positive impact on filling up reservoirs, which might prove useful if the southwest monsoon is poor this year. According to data released by Central Water Commission, levels in 86 major reservoirs across the country stood at 48.62 billion cubic metres as of April 30, 91 per cent of last year’s level and about 120 per cent more than the average for the past 10 years.

In northern, southern and western India, the level in reservoirs stood at 40-45 per cent of last year’s levels, data showed.

In its first forecast for the southwest monsoon, the IMD has said this year, rain is expected to be below normal.