Monsoon 2024 Ends With 8 Per Cent Above Normal Rainfall, Five States/UTs Face Deficits—What You Need To Know

India witnessed its second-highest rainfall during the main monsoon season this year since 2019, maintaining its streak of ‘normal rainfall’ for the sixth year in a row.

With the four-month monsoon season spanning June to September officially concluding on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the country received 934.8mm of rainfall, 8 per cent above the normal.

Typically, India records around 880mm of rain during this period.

According to rainfall data from the IMD for the years 2019-2024, Manipur consistently missed its normal seasonal rainfall of 1,038 mm for the last six monsoons.

Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Assam also faced rainfall shortages two or three times over the same period.

This year, only five states/Union Territories, including Nagaland (-32 per cent), Manipur (-31 per cent), Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh (-28 per cent each), and Jammu and Kashmir (-26 per cent), saw rainfall deficits.

This year's monsoon began on 30 May, two days earlier than its normal onset date, in Kerala, and quickly spread over peninsular India.

However, it stalled, causing a rainfall deficit in June.

Despite the late arrival in eastern and central India in June’s second half, the monsoon covered the entire country by 2 July, six days in advance of the normal date.

Over the last four months, the monsoon remained active for extended periods in central and peninsular India, resulting in heavy rainfall.

The monsoon trough stayed south of its normal position, pulling in moisture from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

According to the IMD, some areas in the central and peninsular India will continue experiencing rain into October due to active weather systems.

There were 69 low-pressure days this season, compared to the normal of 55.

Fourteen low-pressure systems formed, and six of these intensified into depressions, against a normal of 5-6.

However, during the last two decades, only three or four low-pressure systems developed during the June-September period.

Most of these systems formed in the Bay of Bengal, bringing heavy rains to Odisha, Jharkhand, Vidarbha, and parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

Only one system in September headed towards Uttarakhand, contributing to the above-normal rainfall in August and September.

The Madden Julian Oscillation, an eastward-moving system of rain-bearing winds and clouds, stayed in a favourable phase longer than usual, sustaining active monsoon conditions.

In September, India received a 12 per cent surplus of rain, which was quantitatively 187 mm, Indian Express reported.

Northwest India recorded a 29.2 per cent surplus, while central India saw a 32.3 per cent increase in September.

Last month, the country experienced low-pressure systems for 26 days, more than double the normal 12 days, according to IMD officials.

Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Uttarakhand faced exceptionally heavy rainfall (more than 300mm in 24 hours) events this year, causing severe floods and landslides that resulted in loss of lives and livelihoods.

Repeated weather systems originating in the Bay of Bengal inundated Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh several times since June.

One such system intensified into cyclone Asna, marking the first storm to form in the Arabian Sea since 1964. Rainfall surpluses in some of these states ranged between 18-48 per cent.

A key distinction this season was that certain states and Union Territories, including Manipur, Nagaland, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, did not receive normal rainfall.

Bihar was also on this list until last week, when it began receiving consistent rainfall from a weather system affecting Nepal.

Although monsoon withdrawal began on 23 September, it has been slow. The IMD expects that more parts of northwest India will see the monsoon retreat in the coming week.

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