BHUBANESWAR: Odisha appears to have defied the monsoon trend despite El Niño conditions, emerging as the only state in the country to record excess rainfall during the June-September southwest monsoon season.
The state received 1,484.3 mm of rainfall against its seasonal average of 1,150.2 mm, recording 29 per cent excess rainfall. Of the total, as much as 1,057.8 mm was received over just 42 days, largely under the influence of a series of weather systems.
The season’s rainfall was also the fourth highest recorded in Odisha since 1901. The state received its highest-ever monsoon rainfall of 1,542.1 mm in 1961, followed by 1,508.8 mm in 2006 and 1,499.5 mm in 1956. This year’s 1,484.3 mm was the fourth highest.
Odisha is part of the Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ), which covers a major portion of the country’s rain-fed agricultural areas and includes Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The MCZ as a whole received 779.9 mm of rainfall against a normal range of 782.8 mm to 881.2 mm.
The state had a relatively dry start to the season, recording a 47 per cent rainfall deficit in June, largely due to the absence of weather systems. Rainfall activity then picked up sharply, with July recording an 83 per cent surplus, followed by 15 per cent in August and 39 per cent in September.
July turned out to be particularly exceptional. Odisha received 627.3 mm of rainfall during the month, the highest ever recorded for July since 1901. The previous highest was 586 mm in 2009, followed by 584.2 mm in 2001, 552.7 mm in 1994 and 496.2 mm in 2014.
Addressing mediapersons on Wednesday, IMD director-general Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said 14 low-pressure systems formed during this year’s monsoon against the normal of 13. These systems strongly influenced rainfall activity over different parts of the country.
The weather systems affected the country for 77 days against the normal 57 days. Of the 14 systems, 10 impacted Odisha, bringing 1,057.8 mm of rainfall over 42 days. The state witnessed two deep depressions, three depressions, two well-marked low-pressure areas and three low-pressure areas during the season.
Of the 36 meteorological sub-divisions in the country, only Odisha, accounting for five pc of the country’s area, received excess rainfall during the season. Eighteen sub-divisions, covering 53 pc of the area, recorded normal rainfall, while 17 sub-divisions covering 42 pc reported deficient rainfall.
At the district level, seven districts recorded normal rainfall between June and September, while 22 received excess rainfall and one recorded large excess rainfall. Balasore recorded the highest seasonal rainfall at 1,907 mm while Gajapati received the lowest at 896.7 mm.