Monsoon season in Delhi could be longest in recorded history
NEW DELHI, 2 October 2013 (Express News Service) – It’s October and the monsoon seems to be in no mood to call it a day in the capital. With more showers predicted over the coming week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the monsoon this year is likely to be the longest one in Delhi-NCR in the last 72 years. The average length of monsoon in the region is about 85 days. The previous record for the longest monsoon in Delhi-NCR was recorded in 1956 when it lasted for 111 days. “This record might soon be history. In view of more rain predicted in Delhi and NCR in the coming week, the length of the monsoon this year is likely to surpass the record set in 1956, thus becoming the longest one in the recorded history of IMD. It is going to be about 40 per cent more than the average normal period,” Dr O P Singh, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, said. According to the IMD, the monsoon withdrew from Delhi-NCR as late as October 13 in the years 1956 and 1959. The IMD officials said this year, there was a likelihood that the rain would continue well past mid-October. “This year’s monsoon was characterised by an early onset over north-west India, including Delhi-NCR. The monsoon arrived in Delhi on June 16 and rapidly covered the entire north-west India on the same day, which is an all time record as far as rapid advance of monsoon is concerned. A well-marked low pressure over Delhi-NCR resulted in advance of monsoon over the entire country almost a month ahead of normal, and about 15 days ahead of normal in Delhi-NCR,” Dr Singh said. The MeT department officials said the monsoon this year has oscillated between normal and excess over most parts of north-west India. The weighted mean rainfall for states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan has been 9 per cent in excess of normal. “The rainfall over Delhi-NCR, recorded at the Safdarjung Met station, has already been in excess of 35 per cent,” Dr Singh said.
