E-Paper
At 211.3 mm, Maharashtra records slightly above-normal rainfall in June
Vineet Kumar, weather scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, tweeted that Pune city recorded 252 mm of rain this June, which is the highest June rainfall in Shivajinagar, Pune, in a decade
At 211.3 mm, Maharashtra recorded slightly above-normal rainfall in June against the normal rainfall of 209.8 mm. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), nearly 12 districts in the state including Thane, Kolhapur, Osmanabad, Aurangabad, Nandurbar, Hingoli, Buldhana, Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gondiya and Gadchiroli recorded rainfall deficiency.
While Bhandara and Hingoli were the most affected districts with 63% and 79% rainfall deficiency, respectively, rainfall recorded in other areas was between normal and excess category. Hingoli recorded 29.9 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 143.4 mm while Bhandara recorded 56.1 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 151.8 mm. At 204.5 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 90.9 mm (125% higher than normal), Solapur recorded the highest rainfall in the state. Whereas Pune district recorded slightly above-normal rainfall of 149.5 mm (10% higher) between June 1 and 30.
Shivajinagar also recorded above-normal rainfall. Vineet Kumar, weather scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, tweeted that Pune city recorded 252 mm of rain this June, which is the highest June rainfall in Shivajinagar, Pune, in a decade. As per IMD data, the highest rainfall earlier was recorded in 2015 at 211.2 mm.
The state has four meteorological sub-divisions namely Konkan and Goa, central Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Vidarbha. As per the data, Vidarbha recorded significant rainfall deficiency at 106.2 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 141.6 mm (25% below normal). At 499.4 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 565.3 mm, Konkan and Goa recorded 12% rainfall deficiency. At 147.3 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 129.3 mm, central Maharashtra recorded above-normal rainfall by 14%. At 150.8 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 114.6 mm, Marathwada recorded 32% higher rainfall.
About the forecast ahead, Vaishali Khobragade, senior meteorologist at IMD Pune, said, “As a result of weather systems active over Maharashtra, the state is likely to receive good rainfall till June 3. An orange alert for isolated moderate to heavy rainfall has been issued for Sindhudurg, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune and Satara districts for the next 24 hours. Thereafter, a yellow alert has been issued for light to moderate rainfall for all these areas and the Vidarbha sub-division. With heavy rainfall expected in the ghat areas in Pune, an orange alert has been issued for the next 24 hours. Thereafter, rainfall activity is likely to be subdued although there are chances of light to moderate category rain till July 3.”
“The monsoon has revived in the state and brought a positive impact. Most of the areas are showing in blue colour indicating a good amount of rainfall that has been received so far. As both monsoon branches including the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal as well as inland weather systems are active, there are chances of good rainfall in the state. The farmers need to plan for sowing accordingly,” Khobragade said.
Increased rainfall activity in the ghat areas
Rainfall activity in the ghat areas in Pune district has increased significantly. At 163 mm, Lonavla received the highest rainfall till 8.30 am on June 30. After Lonavla, Tamhini received 56 mm; Shirgaon 37 mm; and Ambone in Mulshi tehsil received 68 mm rainfall. The rainfall will continue to be on the higher side for the next 48 hours in the ghat area and hence, people are advised to follow safety measures while travelling, IMD officials said. In Pune city, light showers were received on June 30.
