The delayed intense spell in September helped Kerala reduce the southwest monsoon rainfall deficit significantly, much to the delight of the State which was staring at a drought-like condition until recently. However, the four-month season draws to a close with 34% deficient rains, third largest monsoon deficient year in the 123 years of recorded weather history of the Kerala, whereas the monsoon over the country as a whole was normal with the country receiving 94% of the long period average (LPA).
The State received 1326.1 mm rainfall till September 30 this year against the LPA of 2018.6 mm. This is the 15th deficient southwest monsoon for the State in over a century. The highest deficient monsoon in recorded history was in 1918 with 1104.3 mm of rains, followed by 1297 mm of rain in 1976. In 2016, the year when the State witnessed one of the worst droughts in recent history, the State received 1353.3 mm rainfall. The extremely low monthly rainfall in August coupled with the weak onset in June has aggravated the situation in Kerala.
Cyclonic storm Biparjoy, formed in the Arabian Sea in the first week of June and spent around eight days in the sea before making landfall in northwestern India and southern Pakistan on June 15, had upset the monsoon pattern over Kerala, leaving a 60% deficient rain in the opening month. Though July witnessed relatively normal rainfall, August witnessed extremely low rainfall with a drop of 87% monthly rain due to the adverse effect of El Niño over the equatorial Pacific region.
