Northwest India has recorded its wettest August in more than two decades, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reporting 265 mm of rainfall, the highest since 2001 and the 13th highest since 1901.
The unusual deluge comes on the back of an already rain-rich monsoon. The region had registered 111 mm of rain in June, 42 per cent above normal, and 237.4 mm in July, 13 per cent above normal. August’s 265 mm was against a normal of 197.1 mm, an excess of 34.5 per cent.
Cumulatively, northwest India received 614.2 mm of rain between June 1 and August 31, about 27 per cent higher than the long-period average of 484.9 mm, according to IMD figures.
The surplus has been accompanied by severe weather events. Punjab witnessed its worst floods in decades, with overflowing rivers and breached canals inundating farmlands and displacing lakhs. The Himalayan belt of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir suffered repeated cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and the washing away of bridges and roads.
Also read: Climate change redrawing India’s flash flood hotspots, warns IIT
According to the IMD, “active monsoon conditions supported by frequent western disturbances” contributed to the excess rainfall across the region.
The trend was not confined to the north-west alone. South Peninsular India recorded 250.6 mm of rainfall in August, about 31 per cent above normal, making it the third highest since 2001 and the eighth highest since 1901. Between June 1 and August 31, the region logged 607.7 mm of rainfall against a normal of 556.2 mm, an excess of 9.3 per cent.
Nationwide, India received 268.1 mm of rainfall in August, five per cent above normal, and 743.1 mm over the three-month period of June to August, six per cent higher than average.
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