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Tribune News Service
Karam Prakash
New Delhi, July 31
Contrary to the Indian Metrological Department’s (IMD) prediction of a below-normal monsoon, the north-western states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal this year received the highest rainfall for July since 2001. Several districts of Himachal; Chandigarh and Haryana’s Ambala saw the breaching of all-time 24-hour rain record.
IMD Director General of Meteorology Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, releasing the second long range forecast on Monday, admitted that they could not correctly predict the July rain pattern in the northwest. He said the rainfall in July was 13 per cent above the long period average (LPA). He said August was “very likely to witness below-normal rain”. The August LPA over the country as a whole is 254.9 mm. He, however, predicted normal rainfall in September.
It was from July 8-13 that the region received the highest rain, leading to landslides in Himachal and flooding in Punjab and Haryana. “Northwest India received 258.6 mm of rain. The peak was on July 9,” said the IMD chief. He said the northwest region had received 31 per cent excess rain compared to country’s average of 5 per cent excess from June 1 to July 31.
The high rainfall activity in the northwest region has been attributed to the interaction of four western disturbances (WDs), which usually bring rains, with the monsoon cycle.
#Ambala
#Monsoon
