E-Paper
Monsoon draws to a close in Chandigarh with 34% excess rainfall
Overall this monsoon season, which the India Meteorological Department (IMD) considers from June to September, 1134.6 mm rain was recorded in the city — 34.3% above normal
The monsoon season this year brought along 34% surplus rain in Chandigarh before it officially withdrew from the region on September 30, just few days after the normal date of September 25.
Overall this monsoon season, which the India Meteorological Department (IMD) considers from June to September, 1134.6 mm rain was recorded in the city — 34.3% above normal.
With record-breaking 693.2 mm rain in July alone, this is the highest rain recorded in the city in monsoon season, as per IMD director Manmohan Singh.
Overall monsoon records for the airport observatory before 2010 weren’t available with officials, but they confirmed that the wettest monsoon record was broken after the July rains itself.
Before 2023, over the past 10 years, 2018 had the highest amount of rain (993.3 mm).
Monsoon withdrawal in this region is usually announced by IMD when there is no rain for four to five days in a row and an anti-cyclonic movement starts to form over the region, along with drop in humidity.
Speaking about why monsoon had been so strong this year, Singh said, “This monsoon was characterised by cyclonic circulations in the Bay of Bengal interacting with strong Western Disturbances (WD), something which wasn’t seen in previous years. Earlier, WDs would cease by June, but due to changing climate conditions, they have started appearing during monsoon also.”
Driest September since 2020
With just 37.8 mm this month, this September was the driest since 2020, as per IMD. Speaking about this, Singh said, “WD, which remained active in the earlier part of the monsoon, weren’t as active in September.”
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature went down from 34.8°C on Friday to 34.5°C on Saturday, 1.9 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature also dipped slightly from 22.4°C to 22°C, 0.1 degree below normal. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature may rise to anywhere around 35°C, while the minimum temperature will remain between 22°C and 23°C.
