July ends with lowest rainfall deficit of 30% in three years

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The month of July ended with a rainfall deficit of 30% in the district — the lowest in July in the last three years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In the same period last year, Gurugram had a deficit of 33%. In 2017, the deficit was much higher at 64%.

However, despite the deficit being at a three-year low, weather experts from the IMD said the shortage of rainfall, so far, is a concern for agriculture and water management, and that the deficiency is unlikely to be met in August.

Gurugram received 155.05 mm rainfall in July against a normal of 221.5 mm. June, too, had ended with a deficit of 85% due to negligible pre-monsoon rainfall, making it the driest June in the past six years.

According to the IMD data, the first 10-odd days since the arrival of monsoon on July 5 had received very little rainfall, and had led to a deficit of around 85%. However, the district received “good spells of rainfall” between July 15 and 20, and again between July 25 and 28, recovering the accumulated deficit by a large extent. As of July 28, Gurugram was short of the ‘normal’ amount of rainfall by 26%, data from the meteorological department shows.

According to meteorologists, the El Nino weather pattern led to a drier weather for most of the month, and that threat had passed by late July, leading to better rainfall. “Intense rain for fewer days is a result of climate change. Rain patterns have been unusual in the recent years because of the same,” IMD director general of meteorology KJ Ramesh said.

The last time Gurugram received ‘normal’ rainfall in the month of July was in 2016, with 11% more rainfall than the normal. July is usually considered the rainiest month for the south-west monsoon.

“Northwest parts of the country have, over the last three to four years, usually witnessed a rainfall deficiency. For the last few years, monsoon has remained concentrated around central India,” said Mahesh Palawat, chief meteorologist at Skymet, a private weather agency.

IMD weather experts said sporadic rainfall is expected from August 1 till around August 10. However, the intensity is likely to reduce around August 12, and the deficit is unlikely to be met, experts said.