Mumbai, October 3: The year 2019 has recorded the highest season rainfall in India in the last 25 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The weather agency further informed that the rainfall recorded in September this year (152% of LPA) was the highest after 1917 (165% of LPA), which is after 102 years. "After 1994 (110% of LPA), rainfall received in 2019 (110% of LPA) is the highest season rainfall received by the country as a whole", the IMD said in its 2019 Southwest Monsoon Season Rainfall Forecast report.

The IMD further informed that after 1996 (119% of LPA), this is the highest recorded August rainfall (115% of LPA). Giving details about the monsoon activity in India in 2019, the weather agency informed that after 2010, this is the first time in 2019 that rainfalls during all the last three months (July to September) were above LPA. It said after 1931, this is the first time, the seasonal rainfall is more than LPA even after the June rainfall deficiency was more than 30% of LPA. Monsoon 2019: IMD Forecasts 99% Rainfall in August, 100% in September.

What is Long Period Average (LPA):

The IMD brands monsoon activity in India as ‘normal’ or ‘deficient’ based on how it fares against its benchmark Long Period Average (LPA). The current LPA is 89 cm, based on the average rainfall over years 1951 and 2000. The  LPA is the average rainfall received by the country as a whole during the south-west monsoon, for a 50-year period.

In its release, the IMD said that the north-east region of India is passing through a below normal epoch like it was during early 1950s to mid-1980s. The highest cumulative rainfall during August-September (130 %) has been recorded in 2019 after 1983 (142%).

The IMD report further added saying that the monsoon rainfall during July, August and September were 105%, 115% and 152% of its Long Period Average respectively. The withdrawal of southwest monsoon is likely to commence from northwest India around October 10, 2019 against the usual date of September 1. The most delayed withdrawal in the past years has been recorded in 1961 , which was on October 1, 1961, followed by September 30, 2007.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2019 03:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).