Monsoon fury: Record rainfall in August in northern states

Srinagar/Shimla, Sep 1 (PTI) As torrential rains wreak havoc in the northern states, Jammu and Kashmir recorded its sixth wettest August in 125 years, with a 73 per cent surplus rainfall recorded in the month, while Himachal Pradesh witnessed the highest rainfall for August in 76 years, according to weather experts.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed Delhi received 399.8 mm of rainfall in August, the most for the month in 15 years. The last time Delhi recorded more rainfall in August was in 2010 at 455.8 mm.

Himachal Pradesh recorded 431.3 mm of rain in the month, the most since 1949, the Shimla meteorological department said on Monday.

The August rainfall of 431.3 mm against a normal of 256.8 mm marked an excess of 68 per cent, the local weather office said in a statement.

The figures are the ninth-highest in August since records began in 1901, while the all-time record for the month remains 542.4 mm recorded in 1927, Met Office data showed.

Four districts recorded rain in excess of 100 per cent in August - Kullu (165 per cent), Shimla (123 per cent), Una (119 per cent) and Solan (118 per cent) - while it was between 85 and 93 per cent in Chamba, Bilaspur and Kinnaur districts, the statement said.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), since the onset of monsoon in Himachal on June 20, 326 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents, while 41 are missing.

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 319.3 mm of rainfall last month against the normal of 184.9 mm, which is a 73 per cent surplus over the normal, marking its sixth wettest August since 1901, independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif said here.

He said the highest-ever August rainfall in J-K was recorded in 1996 at 481.3 mm, followed by 345.8 mm in 1908, 343.0 mm in 2013, 336.5 mm in 1994, and 331.0 mm in 1955.

This year, several districts in the Jammu region witnessed extreme rainfall departures in the month of August, he said.

Doda topped the chart with 290 per cent excess rainfall, receiving 488.2 mm against the normal 125.1 mm.

It was followed by Udhampur (159 per cent surplus, 897.9 mm), Ramban (133 per cent surplus, 286.2 mm), and Samba (126 per cent surplus, 720.5 mm), Arif added.

Other major gains were reported in Reasi (64 per cent), Jammu (53 per cent), Kathua (45 per cent), Rajouri (42 per cent), Kishtwar (21 per cent), and Poonch (17 per cent).

More than 130 people have been killed and 33 have gone missing in cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods in Kishtwar, Kathua, Reasi, and Ramban districts since August 14.

Record rainfall during August 26-27 caused flash floods in low-lying areas in Jammu and other plains, causing heavy damage to infrastructure. The dead include 34 pilgrims who were hit by a landslide en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on August 26.

In the Kashmir Valley, rainfall patterns remained mixed, the independent weather forecaster said.

He said Anantnag (35 per cent), Pulwama (18 per cent), Kulgam (13 per cent), and Srinagar (15 per cent) recorded above-normal rainfall.

However, other districts like Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Baramulla, Ganderbal, and Shopian experienced rainfall deficit for the month.

Arif said the Ladakh region also recorded exceptional departures from the normal.

While Kargil received 32.6 mm of rainfall against the normal of 2 mm -- a 1,530 per cent surplus, Leh district registered 54.7 mm against the normal 5.6 mm -- a surplus of 877 per cent, he said.

Overall, Ladakh UT recorded 49.5 mm of rainfall in August compared to the normal 4.8 mm, which is a massive 930 per cent departure, he added. PTI BPL/SSB RT