New Delhi:
The national capital has recorded 72 per cent less rainfall than normal in August so far, the lowest in 10 years, according to India Meteorological Department data.
This is despite the weather department’s prediction of moderate to heavy rains between Sunday and Thursday.
The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for the city, has recorded just 31.1 mm rainfall this month so far against the normal of 109.6 mm.
The Palam weather station has recorded 55.6 mm precipitation, which is 51 per cent less than the normal 114.3 mm.
The Lodhi Road Observatory has gauged just 25.6 mm rainfall against the normal of 109.6 mm — a deficiency of 77 percent.
The national capital recorded 37.1 mm rainfall in the first 12 days of August last year.
The city recorded 56 mm during the corresponding period in 2018, 64 mm in 2017 and 41 mm in 2016.
It recorded 110.6 mm rainfall during the corresponding period in 2015 and 120.5 mm in 2014.
In July this year, Delhi had recorded 236.9 mm precipitation, which was 12 per cent more than the normal of 210.6 mm.
Mahesh Palawat, an expert at Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, said the city did not witness good rains because the axis of monsoon kept on fluctuating and did not remain over Delhi-NCR for longer duration.
“One after another, multiple weather systems developed over central India which pulled the monsoon trough towards north Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
Mostly, the monsoon trough remained south of Delhi and crossed over the city briefly, Palawat said.
