Rainfall in August had been the least in over a century, with India getting 36% less rain than it usually does in the month. Of the four monsoon months, August usually sees the most amount of rainfall (25.4 cm) after July’s 28 cm.
With a strengthening of the El Nino and unfavourable conditions both in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, August rainfall has been markedly deficient in most of India, except in northeastern India, the Himalayan States, and parts of Tamil Nadu, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
El Nino refers to a warming of the central Pacific that usually translates to deficient monsoon rainfall over India.
