August rainfall 16% higher, expect above 'normal' in September: IMD

India recorded around 16 per cent more rainfall than normal in August, with rainfall over Northwest India recorded at 253.9 mm, the second highest in August since 2001, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday.

Addressing a virtual press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the country recorded 287.1 mm of rainfall in August, compared to the normal 248.1 mm.

Overall, India has received 749 mm of precipitation against the normal 701 mm since the start of the monsoon season on June 1.

Several districts in the foothills of the Himalayas and the northeast experienced below-normal rainfall as most of the low-pressure systems moved south of their usual position, and the monsoon trough also remained south of its typical position, the IMD chief said.

Many states in the northeast, along with Kerala and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, experienced deficient rainfall, he added.

After a wetter-than-normal August, India is likely to experience above normal rainfall in September, with heavy to very heavy precipitation expected in northwest India and the surrounding areas.

Addressing a virtual press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that the country is expected to receive above normal rainfall in September, at 109 per cent of the long-period average of 167.9 mm.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is anticipated in the northwest region, including Uttarakhand, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and the adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh.

"Above normal rainfall is likely over most parts of India, except for some areas in extreme northwest India, many parts of the southern peninsula, northern Bihar, and northeastern Uttar Pradesh, as well as most of northeast India, where below normal rainfall is expected," the IMD chief said.

The monsoon trough is expected to remain in its normal position, with the possibility of several low-pressure systems developing in the Bay of Bengal, which may travel towards west-northwest up to Rajasthan. The trough could also shift towards the foothills of the Himalayas, and there is a potential for a western disturbance to affect the region in September, Mohapatra said.