Despite regional disparities, June rainfall ends 'normal' for all India

Despite tremendous disparities in the rainfall received regionwise - excess in the northeast and dry in the northwest, India, as a whole registered 'normal' rainfall in the month of June.

Though the SW Monsoon has had a slow progress over peninsular India, it, on Thursday, except for large parts of Rajasthan, and some parts of Punjab and Haryana, had covered rest of the country.

India totalled 152.3 mm rainfall as against the normal of 165.3 mm registering a departure of minus 8 per cent. In India Meteorological Department (IMD) parlance, a departure of plus/minus 19 per cent is considered as 'normal' rainfall.

At state levels, 13 states and three UTs have received 'deficit' rainfall (minus 59 per cent to minus 20 per cent departure) while Delhi at minus 70 per cent departure has registered large deficit (minus 99 to minus 60).

East and northeast India recorded 400.9 mm rainfall as against 328.4 mm, registering a departure of plus 22 per cent from its long period average (LPA). Among the states here, Meghalaya (107 per cent) and Assam (61 per cent) registered excess rains leading to widespread floods.

Northwest India recorded 68.6 mm rainfall against 78.1 mm, showing a deficit of minus 12 per cent from its LPA, for Central India, it was 118.9 mm rain against 170.3 mm, a departure of minus 30 per cent from its LPA, while the southern peninsular India received 139 mm rains against 161 mm, ot minus 14 per cent departure.

Among the states that have recorded deficits are Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana while the UTs are Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Ladakh by way of snow precipitation.

--IANS

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