Dharamsala gets second-highest monsoon rainfall in 110 yrs

This year, the Himachal Pradesh hill station of Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama, received the second highest rainfall since records were first kept 110 years ago, a weather official said on Wednesday.

“Dharamsala in the Kangra valley recorded 3,660 mm rainfall of rainfall, which is 56 per cent more than normal. This is the second highest during the last 110 years. The highest was in 1958, at 4,153 mm ,” said Manmohan Singh, head of the Indian Meteorological Depart-ment in Shimla.

“Himachal received 11 per cent less rainfall. But this is in the normal range. Kangra and Kullu districts recorded excess rainfall of 23 per cent and 22 per cent,” Singh said .

Four districts — Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Kinnaur and Sirmaur had deficient rainfall, while the remaining districts had a normal monsoon. The state capital, Shimla, had 12 per cent deficient rainfall.

The monsoon arrived late this year and rains was scanty in July. But it picked up in August, which was the wettest month with 14 per cent excess rain over normal.