With just 134.2 mm rain against a normal of 220 mm this month, the city has seen the driest July in five years, according to the data from the Punjab Agricultural University’s agromet department.
Before this, the city had recorded a mere 88.2 mm rainfall in July 2017.
In July 2023, the city recorded 212.4 mm rain, 323.8 mm in 2022, 271.2 mm in 2021, 232 mm in 2020 and 218.4 mm in 2019, and 396.8 mm rainfall was seen in 2018.
Additionally, the city also recorded the highest minimum and maximum temperatures for July in the last five years.
The highest maximum temperature was recorded at 35.1 degrees Celsius and minimum at 28.3 degrees Celsius, according to the PAU observatory.
According to Dr Sompal Singh from the department of agricultural Meteorology at the PAU, “The monsoon has been weak so far. The month saw constant high pressure in the area which did not allow moist air to flow in and lead to rain.”
He added that this was a complex weather phenomenon and a lot of other factors, including climate change, were in play.
{{/usCountry}}He added that this was a complex weather phenomenon and a lot of other factors, including climate change, were in play.
{{/usCountry}}In July 2023, the highest maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 33.1 degrees Celsius and 27.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.
In 2022, they were 33.5 degrees Celsius and 27.3 degrees Celsius, in 2021, 34.3 degrees Celsius and 27.8 degrees Celsius, in 2020, 34.4 degrees Celsius and 26.6 degrees Celsius and in 2019, the highest and lowest settling points for mercury were 33.5 degrees Celsius and 26.7 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Compared to the last ten years, July this year recorded the third-lowest rainfall. In 2014, the city saw 130.4 mm rainfall.
Dr Sompal said, “There are still two months to go for monsoon and we hope that the rainfall in will make up for the deficit.”
The IMD had predicted an above-normal monsoon this season.