Monsoon leaves Central India, N-E dry

The crucial monsoon has brought bountiful rains across the country, but left most parts of Central India dry.

While peninsular region and northern parts of the country experienced excess to normal showers, Central India continued its dry run, with Jharkhand getting 46 per cent less rain than normal, followed by Gangetic West Bengal (-34 per cent) and eastern Uttar Pradesh (-30 per cent).

The cumulative rainfall for the season, which began on June 1, was one per cent below normal, according to data released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

September is set to be the wettest month of the season, with scientists predicting 15 per cent more rains than normal in the last month of the season.

“Rainfall over the country as a whole for September is likely to be normal. Quantitatively, September rainfall is likely to be 115 per cent of long-period average (LPA), with a model error of 15 per cent,” IMD said.

Assam-Meghalaya with (-26 per cent), Bihar (-23), East Madhya Pradesh (-21) and Chhattisgarh (-20) continued to remain in the deficient rainfall category.

Though Orissa, West Madhya Pradesh and West Uttar Pradesh were bracketed in the normal rainfall category by the weather office, the deficiency was too high and rains playing truant for a couple of days could push them to the deficient category.

While Orissa received 18 per cent less rains than normal, West MP and West UP each got 16 per cent less rains.

IMD has issued a warning on isolated heavy rainfall over Uttrakhand, West Uttar Pradesh, northeastern States and Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the next two days.