Northwest regions record 628% excess rain: IMD data

Central India also recorded 293% excess rain in the period from January 1 to 12, leading to cumulative 373% excess rainfall over the country

The northwest India has recorded 628% excess rainfall during the past 10 days with all nine subdivisions in the region recording large excess downpour (over 60% above normal), according to data released by India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Commuters wade through a waterlogged street in Amritsar. (PTI)

Central India also recorded 293% excess rain in the period from January 1 to 12, leading to cumulative 373% excess rainfall over the country.

“Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi recorded 53.3 mm rain against a normal of only 4.2mm, an excess of 1,169%; Punjab recorded 80.3 mm against normal of 5 mm rain (1,502% excess); Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh recorded 128.1 mm against normal of 21.1 mm rain (507% excess),” IMD data suggests.

According to data compiled by IMD, Pune, while the northwest India generally records an average of 68.5mm rain in the winter months of January and February, in January so far (till Wednesday), the region has already witnessed 59 mm of rainfall. This was mainly due to the effect of three western disturbances and moisture incursion from Arabian Sea, IMD said, adding two more western disturbances are expected to affect northwest India next week.

“In a very few days a lot of rain has been recorded due to consecutive active western disturbances affecting the Western Himalayan region. Normally so much rain is not expected during this season. These western disturbances have also caused large amounts of rain over central India. We had forecast that there would be above average rains in January. Since two more western disturbances are expected to affect the region till January 18, all subdivisions will continue to record excess and large excess rains. The rain will favour winter crops over northwest India,” said DS Pai, head of the climate research and services at IMD, Pune.

Farmers maintained that the winter rain has favoured a few crops, but it has also caused largescale damages to certain produce.

“So far rain has been favourable for farmers, especially for wheat and mustard, but potato crop has suffered a lot due to excessive rains. The dependence on irrigation has reduced,” said Harinder Lakhowal, general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union.

The western disturbance, which caused widespread rain over northwest India last week, is lying as a cyclonic circulation over northwest Uttar Pradesh. “A trough (line of low pressure) is running from south interior Karnataka to south Chhattisgarh in lower tropospheric levels. A cyclonic circulation is lying over south Konkan in lower tropospheric levels. Confluence of winds from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal at lower tropospheric levels is likely to continue over east and adjoining central India during next three days,” IMD said in its forecast on Wednesday.

This would mean widespread rain over central and east India. Widespread light to moderate rainfall is likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Telangana and Coastal Andhra Pradesh during January 12 to 14 and isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall over Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh is likely till January 14, IMD said.

Isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Odisha on Thursday while isolated thunderstorms with lightning and hail is likely to continue over Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Sikkim till then.

Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall is very likely over most northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Under the influence of a cyclonic circulation over Southwest Bay of Bengal and another over south Tamil Nadu in lower tropospheric levels, rainfall or thundershowers are likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Mahe during next four-five days,” IMD predicted.

Meanwhile, two fresh western disturbances are likely to affect northwest India, the first from January 16 and likely to cause isolated to scattered rainfall on January 16 and 17; the second from January 18 and likely to cause light/moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall over the Western Himalayan region and light isolated to scattered rainfall over adjoining plains for subsequent two-three days, IMD said.