The monsoon is likely to become vigorous over most parts of Punjab and Haryana during this week. Heavy rains are likely at few places on 29th and 30th July. The wet spell will be accompanied with squally weather and lightning, particularly along the foothills.
The monsoon rains though have been normal for the Agri bowl states of Punjab and Haryana, both in June and July as well but these have not been evenly distributed. In Punjab, the Malwa region has generally rained well except Firozpur and Fazilka districts.
Few pockets in Doaba region like Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur are deficient by 40-50% halfway through the season. In the Majha area, the noticeable shortfall is in the Amritsar and Tarn Taran region of 25-30% so far.
In Haryana also, a similar picture is emerging wherein the foothills like Panchkula, Ambala, and Yamunanagar are deficient by 30-40% or even more. Even districts contiguous to Rajasthan and Delhi like Mahendragarh, Mewat, Palwal, Rewari, and Rohtak are deficient by a similar margin. The hinterland of Haryana has enjoyed hefty rains and places like Jind, Kaithal, Hisar, Karnal, and Kurukshetra have recorded large excess this season so far.
Both the states can expect decent monsoon showers for the next 5-6 days including the intense one on the 29th and 30th July. This wet spell is attributed to the proximity and oscillation of the monsoon trough across the region on most of these days. The state of Punjab and Haryana have so far recorded above normal rainfall with a surplus of 5% and 8% respectively. The upcoming spell will add to these margins and the deficiency in various pockets may get recovered to some extent.
