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95% above normal rainfall rescues March from scorching heat
The all-India rainfall for March was 8 per cent surplus—as of March 29—and this trend has continued into the final week before the summer: IMD.
The IMD reports a 95% surplus in pan-India rainfall between March 19–25, effectively wiping out early heatwave deficits and ending the month with significantly cooler temperatures. (Express file photo)
After a warm start and heatwaves marked an early onset of summer across the country this March, the month has ended with cooler temperatures, all thanks to surplus rainfall. Most regions of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, received normal or excess rainfall in the third week that helped keep temperatures in check.
Between March 19 and 25, there was heightened rainfall activity country-wide, pushing the all-India rainfall to 95 per cent above normal. All the rainfall deficits recorded during the two previous weeks of this month were not only wiped out, but the rainfall figures swung to above normal for this time of the year.
This March, excess rainfall was reported in all the south, east, and northeast regions of the country.
“The two successive western disturbances and continuous thunderstorm activity resulted in normal to ‘above’ normal rainfall over the country,” the IMD said.
Quantitatively, the all-India rainfall for the month was 8 per cent surplus (30.2 mm) as of March 29, and this trend has continued into the final week before the summer, which is expected to peak at many places next month.
Due to the ongoing thunderstorms, overall temperatures across many parts of the country plummeted below normal, the IMD said. “The weekly average maximum temperature was below normal by 5 to 7 degrees Celsius over many parts of the country, early in the week. The weekly average minimum temperature was below normal by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over parts of northwest, east, and central India regions and near normal over remaining parts of the country during the week,” the IMD said.
As such, there were no heatwave conditions in any part of the country for most days of March, except for some pockets, in the first half of the month.
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However, significantly low rainfall was recorded this month over many areas along the northwest region. The deficient rainfall was particularly low over Goa (-96 per cent), Maharashtra (-72 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (-46 per cent), Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (-39 per cent, each), Punjab (-25 per cent) and Himachal Pradesh (-20 per cent). Rainfall or snowfall during March is significant for the higher-altitude regions, such as Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, the IMD said.
The Met office has forecast widespread rainfall of moderate to heavy intensity over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura till Wednesday, and the same activity continuing over West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, and Odisha till April 3.
Due to the influence of the prevailing western disturbance, there will be thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh till Tuesday. The temperatures will continue to remain normal or below normal over these regions this week, the IMD said. Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, and Ladakh will witness wet days till April 4.
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