‘June records ‘excess’ rainfall, good precipitation likely in July’

NEW DELHI: The month of June ended with “excess” rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday, forecasting a good precipitation in July.

According to the IMD data, the overall rainfall in June was 118 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA), which is considered excess rainfall.

It was also the wettest June in the last 12 years, the IMD said. The LPA rainfall of the season over the country as a whole for the period 19612010 is 88 centimetres. Rainfall in the range of 90-96 per cent is considered “below normal”, and that in the range of 96-104 per cent is considered normal.

Precipitation in the range of 104 -110 per cent of the LPA is considered “above normal”, while beyond 110 per cent is considered excess” rainfall.

The June rainfall in the Central India subdivision of the IMD, which covers the regions of Goa, Konkan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, was 131 per cent of the LPA.

In the East and northeast subdivision, the rainfall was 116 per cent of the LPA.

Assam has witnessed floods, while Bihar has also received excess rainfall. However, the rainfall over this region will reduce over the next 5-10 days, IMD director general Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.

The Northwest India subdivision comprises the north Indian states. The rainfall here was 104 per cent of the LPA, while in the South Peninsula, it was 108 per cent of the LPA.

The IMD has predicted 103 per cent rainfall of the LPA for July.

July is expected to have good rainfall, Mohapatra said. He added that there are two cyclonic circulations, one near the Gujarat coast and other over east-central India, which will bring good rains over central and southern India over the next 5-10 days, Mohapatra added.