Skewed July rain explains floods in some states, dry reservoirs in others

India's cumulative monsoon rainfall deficit fell from 31% in June to 10.5% after July, due to a small surplus in July.

July rainfall was 281.9 mm, 2.2% above the 1971-2020 Long Period Average, but concentrated in just 18 surplus days with a 34% surplus.

Heavy rain (at least 35.6 mm in 24 hours) had a 12% surplus, while light and moderate rain had deficits of 4.9% and 6.2%.

Uneven distribution of July rain caused floods in some regions and dry reservoirs in others, according to HT analysis of IMD gridded data.