After a gap of 14 years, the State recorded excess rainfall during south-west monsoon (June-September).
According to information hosted on the website of the Meteorological Department's Regional Meteorological Centre here, the State received 38 cm from June 1 to September 29 against the normal of 31 cm, a departure of 21 per cent.
The previous occasion was in 1996 when the State registered 78 per cent in excess of normal rainfall. Since then, either normal or deficient rainfall was received by the State.
(According to meteorological standards, if the deviation from the average quantum of rainfall is minus 19 per cent-plus 19 per cent, it is called normal. If it is plus 20 per cent and more, it is excess.)
While 13 districts fell in the category of “excess rainfall,” the remaining 19 districts had normal rainfall.
Among the districts with excess rainfall were Chennai (actual rainfall: 57 cm and deviation from normal: 31 per cent); Erode (31 cm and 24 per cent); Nagapattinam (38 cm and 41 per cent); Ramanathapuram (26 cm and 91 per cent; Salem (55 cm and 45 per cent); Theni (34 cm and 119 per cent); Tiruvallur (81 cm and 83 per cent) and Villupuram (52 cm and 21 per cent).
Among the districts with normal rainfall were Coimbatore (19 cm and minus 19 per cent); Kancheepuram (51 cm and 13 per cent); Kanyakumari (38 cm and 17 per cent); Madurai (30 cm and nil per cent); the Niligiris (121 cm and 15 per cent); Thanjavur (39 cm and 15 per cent); Tiruchi (31 cm and eight per cent); Vellore (45 cm and four per cent) and Virudhunagar (21 cm and 16 per cent).
The Union Territory of Puducherry received 65 cm against the normal of 33 cm, a deviation of 96 per cent.
