Climate Emergency? India records 2nd driest pre-monsoon spell in 65 years
New Delhi, Jun 4: Indian summers are known for heatwaves and dry spells. But this year, the summer reached the highest temperature. Mercury is rising each day. Most regions across India remained dry this pre-monsoon season, which stretches from March 1 to May 31.
This is 2nd driest pre-monsoon that India has witnessed ever since 1954, i.e. lowest pre-monsoon rainfall. While the rainfall failed to live up to expectations, as many as 26 out of 36 meteorological subdivisions in India have recorded deficit rainfall.
As per the records from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the country received only 99 mm of rainfall from March to May—around 23% less than normal rainfall for this time of the year.
Nearly two-thirds of the regions have witnessed a significant drop in pre-monsoon rainfall this year, which makes it one of the worst-performing years in terms of pre-monsoon rainfall in recent years.
Poor pre-monsoon showers and hot and dry winds from the northwest have added to the intensity of the heatwaves. Heat Wave conditions have been continuously intensifying across India over the last week. There was extreme heat across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra due to the long spell of dry weather.
The India Meteorological Department has indicated that the heatwave and severe heatwave conditions are likely to ease after Wednesday.
On Sunday, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh experienced ‘severe heatwave’ conditions while parts of Punjab, Haryana, Vidarbha, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat witnessed heatwave conditions.
The mercury was at its highest on Sunday in Churu and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, both of which were among the ten HOTTEST places in the world. Interestingly, Agartala in Tripura received the world’s highest 24-hour rainfall on the same day.
According to The Weather Channel's forecast for Tuesday, northwestern and central states are likely to experience temperatures of 40°C or more, while a few parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra & Telangana may witness temperatures more than 45°C.
The situation is an equally miserable condition in southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Following a significant deficit in northeast monsoon rainfall, a water crisis hangs over Tamil Nadu, which has recorded less than 40% normal rainfall this season.
Kerala received 163 mm of rainfall between March 1 and May 29, against the normal rainfall of 360 mm, which was the average rainfall recorded in the past 30 years. Moreover, in Kerala, monsoons usually arrive in the first week of June. This year, however, forecasts suggest a delayed onset of monsoon, meaning a prolonged dry spell in the region.
The Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) revealed that more than 42% of the country’s area is abnormally dry, which is 6% more than that of the previous year. These regions may suffer from drought-like conditions if the rains continue to play truant.
