The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted rainfall of 2,205 mm for the monsoon season that began on the 1st of June. However, the total rainfall recorded as of 8:30 AM on Monday, August 16 stands at 2,218 mm. This means the total rainfall has surpassed IMD’s expectations with around six weeks still left in the season.
Monsoon this year has ranged from heavy spells of rainfall coupled with days of no rain. By contrast, the usual monsoon pattern involves rainfall scattered evenly throughout the season.
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Experts say that this is a consequence of climate change and that it may increase in the years to come. A recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also came to a similar conclusion.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s rainfall deficit for August was at 59 per cent as of Aug 16. IMD’s Santacruz observatory revealed that the city only received 134.2 mm of rain against an average of 330 mm. Officials said that rain in the coming days is unlikely to compensate for the shortfall witnessed in August across Mumbai and the Konkan region. However, other regions of Maharashtra will experience rain in the coming days.
“On 17 August, most of Vidarbha, Parbhani, Hingoli, Jalna, Nanded, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nashik & Nandurbar districts will receive light to moderate rain, which is expected to continue on 18 August, except for regions in east Vidarbha,” Independent Meteorologist Akshay Deoras said on Twitter.
“This low-pressure system is not expected to benefit #Mumbai, Konkan, Pune district, most of Madhya Maharashtra & southern Marathwada. From 19 August, rainfall activities in many parts of #Maharashtra will once again decrease substantially until the month end,” Deoras clarified in a subsequent tweet.
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