Even as monsoon entered the third week of August in Mumbai, the Meteorological department on Friday said the weather is bound to remain dry, with no sign of heavy showers at least till the next weekend. “We aren’t seeing even a slight system, low pressure or depression developing in the sea through the week. As a result, the city will continue to remain essentially dry this week,” said K Sathidevi, director, IMD, Mumbai. She said that small activity is expected over the next weekend but it may bring rainfall only to the southern Peninsula.
“With barely any heavy downpour in the state, or Mumbai, for the past three weeks, the condition is worrisome,” Sathidevi said. “The season rainfall, calculated from the start of the monsoon on June 1 to August 12, in the Konkan-Goa belt (including Thane, Raigad, Mumbai, Sindhdurg, Ratnagiri, Goa) and Madhya Maharashtra (Pune, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Satara, Sangli, Sholapur, Kolhapur) is 18 percent and 16 percent deficient respectively,” she stated. “While that falls under the normal category (between 19 percent excess and 19 percent deficient from the seasonal average is considered normal), it is grossly low for the Konkan stretch where it usually rains in excess.
Konkan-Goa has seen only 1,703.4 mm of rainfall while Madhya Maharashtra had about 381.9 mm rainfall till date from the start of the season. The seasonal normal for both these sub-stations is 2076.6 mm and 454.1 mm respectively.
The IMD’s weekly rainfall map recorded from August 6 to 12, also paints a dismal picture. Maharashtra’s weekly rainfall report was dismal with the Konkan-Goa belt recording only 28.1 mm rains, about 85 percent less than the expected normal of 182.7 mm. The week also saw Madhya Maharashtra recording 8.5 mm rainfall, 81 percent less then the 44.1 per cent normal; Marathwada (Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Nanded, Osmanabad, Latur, Parbhani, Hingoli) recording 4.7 mm, about 88 percent less than the 39.6 normal; and Vidharba (Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Gondia) recording 21.9 mm, 69 percent less than the 71.6 mm normal.
Sathidevi said, “In this situation, Maharashtra must get considerable rainfall for the next one-and-a-half months till the end of September to catch up with the deficit. However, we are not expecting any good system to form for a while now.”
She pointed out that while heavy rains are not in sight in the near future, light, sporadic showers should continue across the state.
“With barely any heavy downpour in the state, or Mumbai, for the past three weeks, the condition is worrisome,” Sathidevi said. “The season rainfall, calculated from the start of the monsoon on June 1 to August 12, in the Konkan-Goa belt (including Thane, Raigad, Mumbai, Sindhdurg, Ratnagiri, Goa) and Madhya Maharashtra (Pune, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Satara, Sangli, Sholapur, Kolhapur) is 18 percent and 16 percent deficient respectively,” she stated. “While that falls under the normal category (between 19 percent excess and 19 percent deficient from the seasonal average is considered normal), it is grossly low for the Konkan stretch where it usually rains in excess.
Konkan-Goa has seen only 1,703.4 mm of rainfall while Madhya Maharashtra had about 381.9 mm rainfall till date from the start of the season. The seasonal normal for both these sub-stations is 2076.6 mm and 454.1 mm respectively.
The IMD’s weekly rainfall map recorded from August 6 to 12, also paints a dismal picture. Maharashtra’s weekly rainfall report was dismal with the Konkan-Goa belt recording only 28.1 mm rains, about 85 percent less than the expected normal of 182.7 mm. The week also saw Madhya Maharashtra recording 8.5 mm rainfall, 81 percent less then the 44.1 per cent normal; Marathwada (Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Nanded, Osmanabad, Latur, Parbhani, Hingoli) recording 4.7 mm, about 88 percent less than the 39.6 normal; and Vidharba (Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Gondia) recording 21.9 mm, 69 percent less than the 71.6 mm normal.
Sathidevi said, “In this situation, Maharashtra must get considerable rainfall for the next one-and-a-half months till the end of September to catch up with the deficit. However, we are not expecting any good system to form for a while now.”
She pointed out that while heavy rains are not in sight in the near future, light, sporadic showers should continue across the state.