India experienced higher than normal rainfall for several regions in July 2024 which is a good sign for agriculture activity, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday. For the second part of monsoon, it predicted that rainfall would be more than 106 per cent. It would be above normal across India, the IMD said.
Further, parts of northeast, East India will be receiving below normal rainfall in the second half of the monsoon, according to the IMD.
As per the Met department, India recorded 9 per cent more rainfall than normal in July.
"Deficient rainfall recorded in July in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, adjoining Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. July rainfall in the northwest at 14.3% below normal," the IMD said.
Eastern India, including Bihar, Jharkhand, east UP, Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha, received deficient rainfall in July, the weather watchdog added.
Moreover, India recorded an average mean temperature of 28.65 degrees Celsius and an average minimum temperature of 24.99 degrees Celsius in July, which are second highest since 1901.
What's in store for August?
The IMD has said that the first week of August will be marked by good rainfall across India. Meanwhile, central India will receive normal to below-normal rains in this period. Further, extremely heavy rains and red alert has been forecasted in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra for the next 5 days.
After August 8, the IMD expects a decline in rainfall across India for a few days. In its media briefing, the Indian weatherman said that Odisha is likely to receive heavy rain on August 1 and 2. A yellow warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) has been issued for one or two places in Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Boudh, Sonepur, and Sambalpur districts.
Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Balangir, Nuapada, Nayagarh, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Kalahandi districts of Odisha may witness heavy rainfall (7 to 11 cm).
What was IMD's forecast for the first half of monsoon 2024?
The IMD in May had predicted above-average rainfall over the entire country, throughout this monsoon season (June to September 2024). The Southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall was reported to likely be 106 per cent of the long average period (LPA).
While IMD anticipated above-normal rainfall for most of the country, many areas in the northern part of Northwest India, Northeast India, eastern part of Central India and adjoining areas of east India were expected to receive below-normal to normal rainfall.
IMD data revealed that southern and central regions in India recorded more than average rainfall even as the regions in the East and North-eastern India recorded 23.3 per cent less rainfall.
Moreover, rains in India's North-Western part dipped by 14.3 per cent. The above-normal rains July recieved helped India recover from the monsoon deficit of June by 10.9 per cent, and India has received 1.8 per cent more rainfall since June 1.
Source: India Times
