Cloudy skies with the slightest of drizzles to wet the evenings have characterised an under-whelming monsoon in Bengaluru so far. With rain clouds yielding just a few drops on Sunday , the city has gone for two weeks without recording significant rainfall.
Between June 1 and July 14, Bengaluru Urban district received just 68.8 mm of rainfall, shows data from Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), which monitors over 100 rain gauges in the district. The deficit in June was 19% while July’s 9.8 mm of rainfall means a deficit of 35%. In comparison, by this time in 2018, the city had received 102.12 mm of rainfall, which translates to a deficit of just 4%.
This year’s rainfall has come in patches rather than long spells, and is unevenly spread across the city. Much of the rainfall since June was concentrated in Bengaluru North and South where deficits are around 20%. Bengaluru East has received just 49.1 mm of rainfall, which is a deficit of 54%. Anekal taluk, where much of the agriculture depends on rainfall, has recorded just 46.4 mm of rainfall and a deficit of 56%.
KSNDMC officials said early monsoon forecasts had indicated that the city, and the rest of the State, would receive tepid rains in June and July. “It was expected to pick up in August and September. For now, however, there are very few signs that this deficit will decrease,” said an official.
Incidentally, since 2010, the lowest rainfall in July was seen in 2017 at just 59 mm. However, this was followed by the city’s entire normal annual rainfall being recorded between August 15 and October 15.
Forecast
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts generally cloudy skies in the city with spells of light rain over the next two days. The maximum temperature, which is around 30 degree Celsius, will continue to remain 2 degree Celsius above normal.
