Tamil Nadu falls in the rain shadow area therefore, Chennai observes less rain during the Southwest Monsoon season. The Northeast Monsoon is the main Monsoon season for the state. According to the data available with Skymet, Northeast Monsoon from October to December gives a whopping 875 mm of rain in Chennai against 433 mm in the four-month-long Southwest Monsoon season.
But, the Southwest Monsoon has performed to the mark this year. The city has received 410.8 mm of rain against the average of 433 mm. Going by the monthly rainfall June was the worst performing month with only 22.2 mm of rain.
July onwards rainfall activity picked up in Chennai and the city received a whopping 206.3 mm of rain, which is also the highest amount observed during the Southwest Monsoon season. August was not bad either as 106.7 mm of rain was observed. By September the rainfall activity reduced and Chennai recorded only 75.6 mm of rain.
The best year for Chennai in terms of Southwest Monsoon rains in last five years has been 2011. According to the rainfall data available, 786.2 mm of rain was observed during this year against the seasonal average of 433 mm.
Going by another statistics, June with a meagre 22.2 mm of rain was not only the worst performing month this Southwest Monsoon, but also for the last ten years.
Image Credit: firstpost.com
