Deficit rainfall continues to haunt Telangana

Hyderabad: There is a 33 per cent deficit in rainfall in Telangana state, except for the districts of Karimnagar and Komaram Bheem which are respectively 7 and 9 per cent rain surplus.

Meteorological experts say the current dry spell is likely to continue till July 15.

The trough (depression) that accelerates monsoon currents, resulting in rainfall, has shifted direction towards the foothills of the Himalayas leaving the southern peninsula dry.

Since the commencement of the south-west monsoon in TS on June 15, the state has received 131.1 mm of rain against the 196.1 mm which is the normal.

That is a loss of 33 per cent. The deficit percentage is as high as 50 per cent for Jogulamba-Gadwal, Kham-mam, Mahbubnagar, Nal-gonda, Suryapet and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts. Hyderabad received 127.5 mm of rain against its normal of 151.8 mm, a shortfall of 16 per cent. The latest forecast of the IMD shows no heavy rainfall in the coming week. The department has categorised the monsoon as normal. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers are very likely to occur at a few places over Telangana. There won’t be any major change in the weather from the present.

Mahesh Palwat, chief meteorologist of Skymet, an independent weather observing body, said, “The dry weather over the southern part of the peninsula will continue for another week. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and interior parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will witness no heavy rains. The trough of low pressure is shifting towards the foothills of the Himalayas. After a 48-hours break, monsoon-like conditions will occur over most parts of the country and when such condition occurs, the foothills of the Himalayas receive heavy to very heavy rain whereas the rest of the country will be dry.”

He added that after July 15, the trough is likely to shift to the south and the monsoons will be re-activated in mid-July.