IMD: Monsoon Covers Entire Country Six Days Early

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated Sunday that the southwest monsoon covered the entire country six days ahead of the normal date, as it advanced in the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana.

The IMD said on Friday that the monsoon is predicted to be normal in July across the country, with the exception of regions of eastern Uttar Pradesh and south Bihar.

According to the weather office, the monsoon swept the entire country on Sunday, rather than the usual date of July 8.

In June, rainfall was inadequate in 16 states and Union territories, with Bihar and Kerala reporting large deficits of 69 percent and 60 percent below average, respectively.

Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana experienced less rainfall than what is typical for June, the first month of the southwest monsoon season.

On Friday, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said, “The monthly rainfall averaged over the country as a whole during July 2023 is most likely to be normal (94 to 106 percent of LPA) and most probably within the positive side of the normal”.

Based on 1971-2020 data, the long-period average (LPA) of rainfall over the country during July is approximately 280.4 mm.

The occurrence of equatorial Pacific Ocean warming, known as El Nino conditions, is likely to develop in July. El Nino is known for reducing monsoon rainfall.

According to Mohapatra, June rainfall has been typical in most recent El Nino years.

“July rainfall has been reported normal in 16 of the 25 years when June rainfall was below normal”, he noted.

In June, 377 weather stations across the country reported heavy rainfall occurrences ranging from 115.6 mm to 204.5 mm per day, while 62 sites reported exceptionally heavy rains totaling more than 204.5 mm.

Mohapatra stated that the March-to-June summer season experienced 281 meteorological sub-division days (MSD), the third highest after 578 MSDs in 2010 and 455 MSDs in 2022. If a single meteorological subdivision reports heat wave conditions, it is regarded as a single MSD.

The weather service forecasted normal to above-average maximum temperatures for most of the country in July, with the exception of a few regions in northwest and peninsular India.

It predicted average to above-normal minimum temperatures for most parts of the country, with the exception of several places in northwest India.

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