Three pockets which badly needed some rain in the month of July were Gujarat, Maharashtra and Southwest Madhya Pradesh (Indore and adjoining areas). These three regions went through a prolonged dry spell, which ended in the last few days of July. Rain was very heavy in Gujarat and the state even got flooded.
Click here to read the Monsoon 2015 forecast for Gujarat, Maharashtra.
By the end of July Marathwada recorded a rain deficiency of -55%, Madhya Maharashtra -25% and Vidarbha -17%.
On August 5, Maharashtra recorded extremely heavy to heavy rainfall. Vidarbha received 81.9 mm of rain in a span of 24 hours, against the daily normal average of 10.9 mm. Similarly, Marathwada and Madhya Maharashtra received 20.3 mm and 13.2 mm of rainfall, respectively. The daily average of Marathwada is 4.4 mm, while for Madhya Maharashtra the average for the day is 7.5 mm.
Consequently, the rainfall deficiency came down to a great extent. The deficiency in Vidarbha at present is just -8%, in Marathwada it is -53% and in Madhya Maharashtra -28%.
The weather system which brought this spell of rain has weakened into a low pressure area lying over Madhya Pradesh and adjoining Uttar Pradesh region. However, it still has potential to bring some rain in Maharashtra.
Here’s a look at the rainfall figures in a span of 24 hours from 8.30 am on Wednesday:
Agriculture in Maharashtra
Crops in Maharashtra, especially in the Marathwada region, were reeling under stressed weather conditions for almost 25 days. This spell of rain came as a big relief for the farmers as it is highly beneficial for the existing crops. New sowing can also take place in the parched areas, which received good showers in last few days.
Image Credit - trekearth.com
