El Nino The Reason Behind Record-Breaking August, Here's The September Monsoon Outlook For India
The 161.7 mm of rainfall recorded in the month of August 2023 was the lowest since 1901.
India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra while addressing a press conference via virtual mode on August 31 stated that the monsoon rainfall for August was the lowest in the past 122 years since 1901.
Apart from this, he also mentioned that the rainfall in August over all Central India and South Peninsular India was also the lowest since 1901, making it one of the worst months of monsoon deficiency in history.
While mentioning this deficiency, Mohapatra stated that the development of El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean was the most important factor behind the deficient rainfall activity in August.
IMD had predicted the impact of El Nino during the start of the month itself and had mentioned that August and September will be drier than normal for most parts of India.
While sharing the outlook for September, he said that the Indian Ocean Dipole – the difference in sea surface temperature of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal – has started turning positive, which could counter the El Nino impact.
August 2023 also reported higher than above-normal temperatures which can be attributed to the lack of rainfall and weak monsoon conditions, as reported by IMD.
It is noteworthy that India has experienced record-breaking maximum and minimum temperatures, dating back to 1901.
August 2023: List of Weather Records Broken
The month of August also saw some new records when it came to deficit rainfall and temperatures observed during the month.
These are the regions that received the lowest rainfall in 123 years:
The rainfall in South Peninsular India during the month of August 2023 was the lowest observed since 1901, with a recorded total of 73.5 mm.
The rainfall in Central India from August 1 to 31, 2023, was recorded at 164.5mm, which is the lowest for the month of August since 1901, as per data from the past 123 years.
The rainfall in India during August 2023, which measured 161.7 mm, is the lowest recorded for this month since 1901.
In August 2023, all India average mean and maximum temperatures were the highest and minimum temperature was second highest since 1901 for the month of August.
In August 2023, South Peninsular India also recorded highest temperature since 1901 for the month of August.
Several areas in Peninsular, Central, and Northwest India experienced normal to below-normal rainfall, as indicated in the Monthly outlook.
There has been an upward trend in the number of break days observed in the month of August. The highest number of break days was recorded in the years 1979 and 2005.
In August 2023, India experienced a significant rainfall deficiency during the monsoon season. The highest previous record of rainfall deficiency in the month of August occurred in 2005.
IMD Forecast For September 2023
India Meteorological Department Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra during the press conference also stated that September was likely to witness normal rainfall in the range of 91-109% of the long period average of 167.9 mm. He also claimed that even if the rainfall in September was to remain on the higher side, the June-September seasonal rainfall average is expected to be below normal for the 2023 season.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra during his conversation with Alex Mathew of BQ Prime spoke in detail about the rainfall forecast for the month of September and how it will impact various regions of India.
Watch the conversation by tapping on the video link below:
