According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the El Nino phenomenon has made June one of the driest Monsoon months in the country in the last ten years, leading to way below normal rainfall at various places. Pune and Hyderabad in particular have been facing drought like conditions with the longest and driest spell in the so called wet month of June. Here’s an elaborate look at the rain situation in the two cities so far:
Pune: Pune is known for its dull gloomy skies and continuous drizzle in the Monsoon season. June is a month when Puneites do not step out without an umbrella to be safe from sudden rain, however, this year they kept their umbrellas unused. The normal rainfall in Pune in the month of June is 116 mm but the city has received only 14 mm of rain so far. This is in stark contrast to previous years (2013, 2010, 2005) when rainfall figures in the month of June have often exceeded 250 mm.
The last time Pune received any rain was on 17th June, which was mere 0.2 mm. The highest amount of rainfall recorded so far is 5 mm on 4th June. Prior to this, 13 mm of rain on 18th June, 2012 was the lowest recorded in Pune in a span of 24 hours in the last ten years.
“It looks unlikely that Pune will receive any rain this week. By then June will come to an end and there will hardly be any addition to the rain figures. Therefore, June 2014 could easily be termed as the driest month in a decade. So far the total amount of rain received in the month of June this year is below 20 mm, which falls short of 34.5 mm recorded in 2012, the lowest in a decade”, says AVM (Rtd) G.P Sharma.
In addition to less amounts rain, Pune also recorded the hottest day of the month (10th June, 2014) in a decade as the maximum rose to a scorching 40.4⁰C. The previous record was 38.6⁰C, recorded on 7th June, 2007.
Hyderabad: June in Hyderabad is technically a drier month out of the four Monsoon months of June, July, August and September. However, the city still witnesses comfortable weather with normal rainfall of about 100 mm. Maximums and minimums also settle around comfortable levels of 35⁰C and 24⁰C respectively. But the El Nino has cast such a spell in the city that June is going to end up as the driest month in a decade, drier than in other El Nino years of 2009 and 2012.
Hyderabad is experiencing the driest spell (no rain for days together) since 4th June till now. The last time it received any rain was on 3rd June which was just traces. Hyderabad has approximately 8 rainy days in June, which reduced to 6 in 2012. This year the number of rainy days have only been 4.
So far the city of Nawabs has had only one good spell of rain which was 47 mm on 2nd June. This makes June the second driest in the last ten years with a monthly total rainfall of 50 mm. The lowest is 40.2 mm recorded in 2008.
Hyderabad on 2nd June this year recorded 42.3⁰C as the maximum temperature, making it the hottest day of the month in a decade. The temperature is equivalent to the maximum recorded on the same date in 2010.
“Monsoon is a four month long activity but so far an extremely dry June in most parts of the country is clearly indicating towards drought like situation. We reiterated the ill effects of El Nino on Monsoon in India and our predictions have been coming true”, said G.P Sharma.
