India received 6% more rainfall than normal so far this monsoon, says IMD

The country has received six per cent more rainfall than normal so far in this monsoon season, but precipitation in parts of north India remains deficient, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

The IMD has four meteorological divisions and rainfall has been more than normal in the south peninsula, central India, and east and northeast India divisions.

But the northwest India division, which covers Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan, has recorded a 19 per cent deficiency, according to the IMD.

Till Sunday, rainfall deficiency was recorded in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh has recorded large scale deficiency, it said.

Monsoon arrived in Kerala on June 1, its normal onset date, marking the commencement of the four-month rainfall season in the country. India is likely to get normal monsoon, according to the IMD's forecast.

In its long range forecast update for Monsoon 2020 released in June, the IMD had predicted 107 per cent of rainfall of the Long Period Average (LPA) for northwest India which comes under the 'above normal' category.

However, rainfall has been weak over northwest India."There has not been enough rainfall over northwest India. But we still have two more months," IMD director general Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.

The IMD had predicted rainfall activity over northwest India from July 18 to July 20. It was expected that this would bring good rainfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, said Mohapatra.

The south peninsula division has recorded 17 per cent more rainfall than normal. It covers Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The IMD said Andhra Pradesh has so far recorded rainfall in the 'large excess category', while Tamil Nadu and Telangana have received 'excess' rainfall.

The central India division has recorded 12 per cent more rainfall than normal. It comprises Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Last week parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat witnessed intense rainfall activity, it said.

The east and northeast division has received rainfall 10 per cent more than normal.

The division covers east India comprising states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the northeast. States like Assam and Bihar have already witnessed floods this season.