Panaji: Goa’s monsoon remains weak, with June ending 41% below normal rainfall after about a week of dry weather. As of Sunday, the seasonal rainfall stood at 907.3mm against the normal 1,322.2mm, a deficit of 31.4%.Despite the shortfall, July has recorded over 395mm of rain so far, slightly above the normal 384mm for this stage. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light rainfall over the next few days.In the 24 hours ending Sunday morning, light to very light rainfall was recorded, with Dharbandora receiving the highest at 3.4mm, followed by Sanguem (2.9mm), Quepem (2mm), Mormugao (1.2mm) and Valpoi (1mm). The daily average rainfall was just 1.3mm, matching the season’s lowest recorded on June 15. Four days between June 17 and 30 were completely dry.Retired NIO chief scientist and meteorologist M.R. Ramesh Kumar attributed the weak monsoon to a convective system over the South China Sea, which reduced the moisture supply to the Indian monsoon.The dry spell has also led to sultry conditions. On Sunday, Panaji recorded a maximum temperature of 33.3°C, nearly 4°C above normal, while the minimum was 27.1°C, about 3°C above normal.
