Panaji: Despite the predominantly low rainfall intensity during Aug, the consistent monsoon activity during the month pegged the deficit to a reasonable level, as rainy days mitigated sultry heat conditions and brought cheer to the farming community.At the end of Aug, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Panaji, recorded a total of 582mm, as against the normal value of 703mm – a shortfall of just 20%.In a season impacted by one of the severest El Nino phenomena, the monsoon activity dried up during the first half, as even farming operations were delayed in June.June ended up as one of the driest in nearly two decades with a deficit of 41% and July on a little lesser scale at 36%.“Two short-lived depressions in Bay of Bengal during Aug not only helped to reduce the overall deficit but also to maintain it at a rational level,” said M R Ramesh Kumar chief scientist (retired) of NIO and meteorologist.The depressions created stormy conditions, boosting the convective systems, first between Aug 13 and 14 and later between Aug 17 and 19, Kumar said.Scientists and meteorologists were expecting the neutral Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) to soften the harshness of El Nino. But it didn’t happen, as expected.There were no dry days, however, during the month as compared to June and July. The lowest quantum of rain was 4.3 on Aug 27 and 4.6mm on Aug 29. The month began on a wet note, as the highest rainfall in Aug of 47.8mm was recorded on Aug 3, 44.7mm on Aug 4 and 42.2mm on Aug 30. This put the brakes on an inflated seasonal deficit.The lowest rainfall recorded in Aug was 260.4mm in 2023 and 322.4mm in 2009.On Saturday, the seasonal total had touched 1942.1mm, as compared to the normal value of 2762.3mm, an overall deficit of 29.7%.
