Monsoon to arrive on June 25: IMD
EARLY ONSET THIS YEAR Nearly 33mm rain recorded as Chandigarh receives its first premonsoon showers in early hours
CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh witnessed its first premonsoon showers of the season, with 32.9mm rain recorded in the early hours of Sunday, while monsoon is likely to arrive around June 25, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
“Due to prevailing pressure conditions in the country, the monsoon system has accelerated, and premonsoon winds have already reached the city,” said IMD’s regional director Surender Paul. “Monsoon is likely to enter the city around June 25, five days earlier than the normal date of June 30.”
It was last in 2015 that monsoon had arrived this early in Chandigarh. In 2019, the onset was witnessed on July 5.
Paul said monsoon is declared when continuous rain is received over 50% of the region for two days. Usually premonsoon starts three days before the onset of monsoon, he said.
“Early onset of monsoon is a good sign for the region, as higher rains can be expected during the season. When monsoon starts late, the overall rainfall is mostly below normal. The La Nina current is also expected to boost monsoon rains during the later part of the season,” he said.
As per the long-range forecast released by the IMD, the region is expected to receive around 107% of the normal rain during the monsoon (from June to September). The normal rain for Chandigarh for this period is 845.7mm.
JUNE IS ALREADY WETTEST SINCE 2013
After the Sunday showers, Chandigarh has recorded 135mm rain till June 21, already the highest for this month since 2013, when 275.1mm rain was recorded, according to the IMD data.
“This month due to a number of western disturbances and their interaction with low-level moisture-laden northeasterly winds, there was higher than normal rainfall in the city. More rain is expected with monsoons set to start around June 25,” he said.
However, even as premonsoon showers were witnessed on
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are expected to stay on the drier side, according to IMD officials. “Only light rain up to 20mm is expected on Monday and Tuesday. However, moderate rain up to 40mm can be expected from Wednesday onwards,” said the weatherman.
Maximum temperature can also go up on Monday, but cloudy weather is likely to drop the mercury again from Tuesday.
Maximum temperature fell from 36.8°C on Saturday to 33.7°C on Sunday, four degrees below normal owing to rain in the early hours and solar eclipse in the afternoon. Minimum temperature went down from 29.1°C to 22.8°C, two degrees below normal. In the next three days, maximum temperature will remain between 34 and 36 degrees while minimum temperature will remain between 23 and 25 degrees.