SHILLONG: Though the State has been receiving rainfall for the past few days, but the scanty rain is unlikely to have much effect on the overall deficiency of rainfall in the Northeast region this season.
Meghalaya has registered 61.4 per cent deficit rainfall this season, a weather official from the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Guwahati, informed.
Acknowledging that the region has received very little rainfall, the weatherman informed that Meghalaya along with Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland have received 61.4 per cent less rainfall this season followed by Assam (45 per cent) and Arunachal Pradesh (35 per cent) as compared to normal years.
According to the weatherman, data from the the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has indicated that Northeast India received 67 per cent rainfall in the period of June and July and till August end it received 72 per cent. The IMD data also said that with the withdrawal of the monsoon season the region received only 31.8 per cent rainfall against normal rainfall of 58.7 per cent.
September 30 is the official cutoff date for the end of monsoon in the country.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, has, however, forecasted that thundershowers with rainfall would occur in Shillong and Cherrapunjee with cloudy sky with maximum temperature from 18 degree Celsius to 22 degree Celsius, respectively from October 4.
“Southwest monsoon is active over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura in the last 24 hours and available data indicates that light to moderate rain would occur at most places over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and at many places over Assam and Meghalaya besides few places over Arunachal Pradesh with rather heavy falls at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Mizoram,” the RMC weatherman said, adding Shillong has of late received only 1 cm of rainfall.
To a query about the inconsistent rainfall that is being experienced for the last few days, the weatherman said that under the influence of cyclonic circulation over northeast Bay of Bengal and the neighbourhood, a low pressure area has developed which is moving northwestwards and affect mainly east India and central India leaving this region.
“This was also the reason for deficit rainfall in the North East throughout this year,” he added.
