August rainfall 14% below normal

Monsoon Watch

 If the rainfall in July this year was in sharp contrast to that in the same month last year, August seems no different. July 2002 was the driest in several years, with rainfall 39 per cent below normal.

 But July 2003 turned out to be one of the wettest, clocking an 8 per cent above normal rainfall.

 Again, while last year the monsoon had revived to an extent in August, it has been subdued this year. Each of the first three weeks of August recorded 12-14 per cent below normal precipitation.

 The cumulative rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon on June 1, after being higher than normal till July-end, dropped to the normal level by the third week of August.

 On the whole, 32 of the 36 meteorological sub-divisions received normal or above normal cumulative precipitation and only four sub-divisions recorded deficient rainfall.

 The India Meteorological Department