India Receives 11th Normal Monsoon In A Row

Nearly 89 per cent of the country's geographical area received normal to excess rainfall due to the south-west monsoon, between June 1 and September 30, making 1998 the eleventh successive normal monsoon year.

The total cumulated rainfall during the season was 106 per cent of the long period average of 88 cms.

According to the end-of-season monsoon performance assessment released by the India meteorological department (IMD) yesterday, 33 of the country's total 35 meteorological sub-divisions and 81 per cent of all the districts received normal or excess rain during the season. The deficient sub-divisions were Orissa and East Madhya Pradesh, both having received 25 per cent below-normal rainfall.

IMD has described the spatial and temporal distribution of the rainfall to be satisfactory though excessive precipitation in several areas, like the Himalayan hilly region, caused extensive flooding in several states.

Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal reported excess rainfall right from the beginning of the season, experiencing widespread flooding. Floods were reported in East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and North Bengal in the middle of the season. Towards the end of the season, continuous heavy rainfall caused floods in parts of Orissa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and South Rajasthan.

The season also witnessed several cyclones resulting in loss of life and property. One of the most severe cyclones crossed the Gujarat coast near Porbandar in the morning hours of June 9, leaving behind a trail of destruction in Gujarat. A deep depression crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast near Visakhapatnam on June 14 and moved rapidly in a West-Northwesterly direction, causing the monsoon to rapidly move across the central parts, ahead of normal schedule. Another low pressure area was formed in the Bay of Bengal off Orissa coast on September 8. It moved through Orissa and East Madhya Pradesh to West Madhya Pradesh where it intensified into a land depression on September 19, bringing heavy rainfall in its wake.

The Southwest monsoon broke over Kerala on June 2, just a day behind the normal onset date of June 1.