Monsoon ending, time to get ready for winter

NEW DELHI: As the meteorological department readies to file its final figures for the year’s monsoon at the end of September, the rains are as good as over.
Current weather trends indicate no more rain for the few days remaining this month. So, after 10 years of ‘normal’ rains, the country has recorded a poor monsoon this year. Till September 24, the deficit was as high as 18 per cent for the whole country.
And Delhi was among the worst hit.Till Friday, the rain deficit for the city was 42 per cent. ‘‘Normally, Delhi gets about 64 centimetres of rainfall from June to September. This year, it’s been 37 cm so far,’’ said Northern Hemisphere Analysis Centre director H R Hatwar.
These could well be the final figures as the monsoon is receding fast. ‘‘It receded from Delhi around September 20. By Thursday it had left most of north India,’’ Hatwar said.
According to the meteorological department, after the below normal monsoon, the city is moving towards its most pleasant months before winter sets in in late November: Clear skies and moderate temperatures. ‘‘What we are now getting is cooler and drier northwesterly winds. Day temperatures will remain at a comfortable average of 34 degree Celsius and nights will get cooler, with minimum temperatures dropping to about 24 degrees. With the sun in the southern hemisphere now, the days will not be too hot,’’ Hatwar said.
Some scanty rainfall may be expected in the next few months in case of any western disturbances. ‘‘But these disturbances are more likely in October-November and are very rare,’’ Hatwar said.
Why did the monsoons fail this year? Most parts of Rajasthan, central and northern India, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu recorded deficient rainfall. In fact, Delhi’s deficient monsoon arrived over a month late.
Blame it on a dry July, says the meteorological department. ‘‘July is the peak monsoon month,’’ said Hatwar. ‘‘But due to lack of adequate monsoon systems, we had very poor rains during that month. The country received just 51 per cent of its usual July quota this year,’’ he said.