IMD forecasts a monsoon break till July 22 in Telangana, as rainfall deficit widens

Telangana is set to face a prolonged dry spell, with the IMD forecasting below-normal rainfall across the state till July 22. The state has already recorded a 33 percent deficit in July rainfall, worsening the overall monsoon shortfall to 19 percent.

Hyderabad: Telangana is bracing for a sustained dry spell over the next ten days, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi, indicated below-normal rainfall across the state till July 22 in its forecast. 

The dry monsoon break comes at a critical time, with Telangana already recording a 33 percent rainfall deficit in the first ten days of July. For July 16–22, the IMD, New Delhi, explicitly categorized rainfall in Telangana as likely to be below normal.

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“Rainfall is likely to be below normal over Rajasthan and north peninsular India, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, North Interior Karnataka,” the IMD, New Delhi, said in its extended long-range forecast.

In its extended range forecast released on Friday, IMD said that the current weather systems that brought relief to the state have moved away, and no major low-pressure areas are currently active over the Bay of Bengal to drive sustained monsoon rains.

The IMD, New Delhi, indicated that while there will be a halt to heavy, widespread monsoon activity, it does not necessarily mean an absence of all rain, as there will be isolated brief light to moderate rain or thundershowers at isolated locations across the state.

Apart from that, maximum temperatures across Telangana are expected to increase by 1 to 3 degrees Celsius, and strong surface winds (40–50 kmph) are expected to persist statewide until at least mid-July.

The latest rainfall data (as on Friday) from the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS) has highlighted the growing concern over the rainfall deficit.

While the state saw a rainfall deficit of 12 percent in June, the situation worsened in July. Till Friday, July 10, Telangana recorded 43.4 mm of rainfall against the normal of 64.9 mm, which is a 33 percent deficit for the month so far.

Overall, for the Southwest Monsoon season (June 1 to July 10), Telangana has received 158.7 mm of actual rainfall compared to the normal 195.2 mm, resulting in an overall deficit of 19 percent.