Lucknow: Defying predictions of below-normal rainfall this year due to the El Nino effect, a hyperactive retreating monsoon led to non-stop rain in many parts of the state since Thursday midnight, resulting in 19 times more rainfall in UP than normal for the month of Sept in just two days, dramatically changing the state’s rainfall picture from deficit to surplus in the rainy season.
Rainfall in the past two days recorded the highest single-day rainfall this monsoon in almost all the districts in Bundelkhand, West and Central UP as well as Terai Belt. The met department has issued a warning that similar conditions will prevail on Sunday, with the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places.
Sample this: Muhammadi in Kheri recorded 342 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, the highest in the state, followed by Sitapur 273.2 mm, Bahraich 239 mm, Banda (known for its dry and hot weather) 227.6 mm, Farrukhabad 224 mm, Hardoi 214 mm, Hamirpur 210 mm, Barabanki 200 mm, Mahoba 187 mm, Kanpur 175 mm, Lucknow 130.5 mm, Bareilly 117 mm and Gorakhpur 106.6 mm. Several districts witnessed their coldest Sept day since 1969 on Saturday since when the records are being kept. Agra recorded a maximum temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius, while Bareilly registered 21.3 degrees Celsius. Etawah and Moradabad both recorded 22.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Aligarh at 22.6 degrees Celsius and Shahjahanpur at 24 degrees Celsius.
As a result, Uttar Pradesh, which had been running a deficit for much of the monsoon, has now moved into a surplus, with cumulative per district seasonal rainfall touching around 2% above normal, he added.
“Within just 24 hours on Saturday, the state received per district average rainfall of 52.5 mm — nearly one third of Uttar Pradesh ’s normal per district average rainfall for the entire month of Sept (153.1 mm),” said senior scientist Mohammad Danish at Regional Meteorological Centre, Lucknow. It retreated from some parts in west UP and was expected to leave the state by the weekend. Similarly, several districts including Hamirpur and Banda recorded highest single day rainfall in the month of Sept.
Interestingly, the southwest monsoon had started withdrawing from the state on Wednesday.